


The blackwell killer

by lesbianbey



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Future, F/F, F/M, High School Reunions, Jefferson still a shithead, Kate Marsh Dies, M/M, Multi, Murder Mystery, Nathan Prescott Didn’t Kill Anyone, Rachel Amber Lives, Reunions, disproportionate retribution, is that a tag yet?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:55:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 40,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21678244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianbey/pseuds/lesbianbey
Summary: Ten years after the 2014 graduation, the graduates are back for a month long reunion event. However, someone is killing Blackwell students and faculty, inflicting fear among residents.
Relationships: Brooke Scott/Justin Williams, Courtney Wagner/Evan Harris, Dana Ward/Trevor Yard, Hayden Jones & Steph Gingrich, Rachel Amber/Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price, Victoria Chase & Nathan Prescott, Victoria Chase & Original Female Character(s), Victoria Chase & Taylor Christensen, Victoria Chase/Steph Gingrich, Zachary Riggins/Juliet Watson
Comments: 24
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i’m still s-h-i-t-e at summaries
> 
> anyways this is my last life is strange fanfic (NOT pertaining any serial fics that are unfinished so yes, the forgiveness series is still a go until I feel like I can’t write anymore or I’ve put myself in a rut that I cannot rise myself from, which is why the vic/rach fic stays unfinished), cause like I said in vortex, i’m pooped the fuck out. i’m not even sure who’s still here anymore and i’m too afraid to ask lol

**February 23, 2023**

Nighttime falls upon Arcadia Bay. The streets are filled to the brim of white, velvety snow, the streetlights that turn on make the streets look brighter than they actually are. A few miles up, there’s a nice looking home consisting of a graying old man who has retired years ago and is ready for his time to be up.

James Amber always felt successful in his life. Despite losing his daughter over ten years ago, James excelled in putting people to jail and making sure Arcadia Bay will stay crime free. He’s not happy with his action to almost kill Sera, but something had to give. Sera was a monster. She endangered both him and his daughter instead of being a nurturing mother that she needed, and he was willing to keep her away from Rachel, even if that means using the resident sociopath Damon Merrick to do so. 

While it did work, Damon disappeared and so did the money. 

He hasn’t talked to Rachel ever since she found out the truth, thanks to a person he hated the minute he met her: Chloe Price. She wasn’t a bad person per se; she managed to keep out of trouble after the mess and go back to the stellar student that she once was, graduating with Rachel and the rest of the student body at Blackwell. However, James could see through her. He hated her involvement in Rachel’s life. While James would never judge Rachel for pursuing relationships with women, he sure hated Rachel’s romantic relationship with Chloe.

But that’s in the past. James has learned to let go, letting Rachel live her best life and he can also live his best life, now that he’s retired and following the death of his wife Rose, he can enjoy it whether he’s alone or not.

He hears a creak in his back door while polishing a cup of sherry. James puts his cup down, grabs for the baseball bat, and goes to the back door as quietly as he can possibly can. However when he gets there, the door is closed. Sighing, he unlocks and locks the door, then turns around to head back to the living room. Then he receives a harsh blow to the head, knocking him down immediately. He struggles to rise up, and the pain in his head prevents him from opening his eyes all the way.

He groans in pain, then feels another blow to his torso. The blows keep on coming, even after the audible crack of his ribs snapping in half. The bat falls on the floor and something shiny catches his eye. “No,” he whispers. “I’ll give you anything.”

“I don’t want _anything_,” the voice growls, then James feels a sharp stab on his shoulder. He yells as loudly as he can, however no one will be able to hear since he’s so far away. Another stab, several stabs later, he lies on the ground, his back on the carpet, his eyes threatening to close. He’s face to face with his assailant, but he can’t recognize anything other than a flash of platinum blond hair. It’s the last thing he sees before another harsh stab finally kills him.

* * *

**January 18th, 2024**

“_Fuck!_” A pale hand rips the paper from the sketchbook and throws it across the room, adding to the growing collection of aborted works. The person rubs their temples attempting to calm themselves down before they have an unprecedented anxiety attack. It's been almost a year since they came up with an idea and yet, nothing. Writer's block has reared its ugly head.

“Victoria! Food is here!”

Victoria Chase gets up from her chair and heads downstairs, where her lovely roommate presents her with Indian takeout. “It's your favorite!”

“How kind of you, Mandy,” Victoria replies. “Seriously, thanks. Was about to get a panic attack after seeing my lovely corner of sketch paper grow even more.”

“Still having writer's block?” Mandy runs a hand through Victoria’s extra long hair, soothing the other girl. “You want me to provide ideas?”

“I tried your ideas and to be honest, I don't think anything can top my last story.” Victoria grabs Mandy’s hand and drops it, then opens her takeout tray. “This was supposed to be the penultimate end of my best selling, award winning, a way-better-love-story-than-Twilight esque lesbian vampire series and all I’m getting is..._nothing_. I would blame my medication but I've been taking that since I moved here.”

“Maybe you need to get away from it for a while. You have that reunion for your old school coming up in the summer—”

“_Hard fucking pass,_” Victoria growls. “I never, _ever_ want to step foot into the state of Oregon again, let alone go to a shitty school reunion to see the same people who made me feel like shit for contributing to an extreme fundamentalist killing herself but not taking the responsibility for ignoring her.”

“Yeah but maybe it will help you of your writer's block,” Mandy reasons. “Maybe seeing people you hate will kick you right into that state of writers bliss.”

“You're a fucking dork, Amanda.”

Mandy shrugs. “Hey it's just a suggestion. Apparently they have a month planned for you guys and I think it might be cool since you haven't really took a vacation since your third book came out.”

“That’s not a vacation. That’s a nightmare,” Victoria says. “Seeing my old classmates? Having to pretend I like them then come back to Manhattan spitting how much I hate those assholes? Eating crappy food? That’s _not_ a vacation at all.”

“Taylor expresses wanting you to go so badly.”

Victoria sighs. She supposes she needs a vacation even if it's shitty Arcadia Bay. Plus, maybe that shit place might bring her ideas other than the grand wedding of her main characters... “I'll look into it. However...I am kinda scared of one thing.”

“That serial killer?”

Victoria nods. “That person is killing former Blackwell students and faculty left and right. I’m glad they haven’t come for either Taylor or Court but...god. Going back there? I gotta fear for my life and these ruthless former classmates of mine.”

“They won’t get to you.”

Somehow, Victoria doesn’t believe that. Whoever is killing these people is surely inflicting fear on her, and possibly every person who attended that school.

* * *

** June 30th, 2024 **

“Oh for _fuck’s_ sake!” Chloe Price groans, slamming the dashboard of her car excessively. “Don’t quit on me now, Laura Palmer!”

“We told you to replace that car years ago,” Maxine Caulfield speaks up, glaring at her girlfriend with intensity. “It’s been fourteen years and it always gives us problems. But no, Chloe is too humbled to give up the shitty Chloemobile!”

“Hey! This is _my_ fucking car!” Chloe argues. “I can’t replace this, it has memories!”

“Yeah, of you getting your pussy juices all over it,” Rachel Amber smirks. She uncrosses her legs and puts her blond hair in a ponytail. “Let me check under the hood real quick.” Max steps out of the car and lets her other girlfriend through. Rachel grabs the toolbox from the trunk, then goes to the hood to open it. A thick layer of smoke emits, hitting Rachel in the face. Rachel coughs and waves the smoke from her breathing vicinity. “Shit, Chlo. This looks dead.”

“You can’t be serious,” Chloe groans.

“Check for yourself, babe.” Chloe steps down from her car and checks the hood. “See what I mean?”

“Fuck!” Chloe yells. “How are we gonna get to the Bay now?”

“On foot,” Max suggests, with a wicked grin.

Chloe glares at Max. “_No_. There should be a mechanic shop nearby. There has to be.”

“Chloe, we’re in the middle of the 101 with barely _any_ type of civilization nearby,” Rachel reasons. “It’s gonna take us a while to get anywhere.”

“There has to be another way,” Chloe mutters.

“We can get an Uber to drive us there,” Max suggests, waving her phone in the air. Chloe and Rachel glare at their girlfriend. “What? It’s not gonna take us long to get there!”

“It’s gonna cost us over a hundred dollars, Caulfield!” Rachel argues.

“You’re swimming in wealth, Amber!” Max argues back. “A taxi taking us from Wakonda Beach to Arcadia Bay isn’t gonna make much of a dent in your savings. The car’s messed up and we have no other way to get to Arcadia Bay.”

“Fine!” Rachel slams the hood closed and stomps over to Max, pulling out her emergency credit card. “Whatever it costs, you owe me.”

“I’ll pay you back, Rach,” Chloe replies. Max puts in the address for the place they’re staying at and the starting point is right in the side of the 101. They wait patiently for what looks to be an SUV picking them up, so they unload what they can from their car and wait a few minutes until the car is right in front of them. They put their suitcases in the trunk and enter the backseat while Max takes the front seat. Chloe takes one last look at the Chloemobile and kisses it goodbye as the Uber driver rolls away, back into the Oregon Coast Highway without another word.

The drive is almost three hours, in which all three girls occupy it by either messaging other people about what happened at the middle of the road or catching up on some good sleep. Max sees the Welcome to Arcadia Bay sign getting closer and closer, then she passes it and is welcomed with the coastal town of her hometown. 

Things have changed a lot. The harbor is populated, there are more hipster shops, even the Two Whales Diner looks renovated. The entire town is no longer the small town it used to be. “Holy fucking shit, look at the diner,” Chloe gasps.

“Wow, it looks more 50s than it used to be,” Rachel comments. “Reminds me of that restaurant in that show Riverdale.”

“It does,” Max agrees. “I wanna see how Joyce is doing. I hope she's ok especially when we couldn't make it to David’s funeral.”

Chloe squirms in her seat. “What was the point of going if none of us liked that asshole?”

“Chloe,” Max frowns. It never sat right with her when Chloe still talks ill of David postmortem. She surely didn't care about his death enough to ignore her mother’s invite to the funeral. “You could've went just for your mother.”

“Hard pass. My mother hasn't given a shit about me since my dad died.”

Rachel casts her eyes to the side while Max rolls her eyes. It's silent again until they reach the hotel they are staying at, but they don't say much until they finish checking in and they reach to the top floor of the hotel to sit down and relax. Their reunion month starts tomorrow, since the Blackwell Alumni Foundation decided to have a month instead of a week to celebrate graduating ten years ago. Chloe thought at one point that she wouldn't graduate from Blackwell after getting suspended for the rest of the year after cutting school to investigate James Amber and his “mistress” (which turned out to be Rachel’s birth mom) and also burning down an entire forest with Rachel, but she gets her second chance and with the help of Rachel, Chloe manages to get back on track. She graduates Blackwell with honors. She mostly stayed with Max and Rachel, her girlfriends, but she had many acquaintances, like Trevor and Justin. She loved Kate like she was Chloe's sister but she killed herself when a viral video surfaced. 

Rachel was the most popular girl in school, and in turn made both Chloe and Max well respected around school. Of course they had their haters: one of them is the demon spawn named Victoria. She was the one who posted the video about Kate and was seconds away from posting Kate’s suicide video until Rachel broke her phone and both Rachel and Chloe told her off. The entire school essentially blamed Victoria for Kate’s suicide, which made the girl a social pariah, barely having any friends or anyone who truly liked her. The last they heard of that bitch, she graduated but requested that her diploma was sent in the mail of her Seattle estate and did not attend graduation. In fact, Victoria deleted all of her social media accounts back in 2015 and was seemingly never heard from again. Chloe and Rachel hopes it stays that way but they know full well that she may make an appearance at the reunion, considering that her best friend Taylor is on the alumni committee.

Max on the other hand didn't have much of a problem with people and made sure to never let anyone, especially Victoria, affect her. She didn't have much confidence but once she graduated, she became confident enough to take more pictures and become a photographer based in LA. Rachel became a model and is often the muse of Max’s pictures, along with Chloe, who is a manager for several mechanic shops in the city. After James’ murder a year ago, Rachel heads back to the Bay momentarily for the funeral and to obtain everything her father left for her. Despite being James’ trustee, she sold the house instead of keeping it, although it would've been a nice place to stay at. However, Rachel never truly forgave her father for his actions, so that wasn't gonna happen. 

“Alright, let's go check out the Two Whales,” Rachel announces, prompting both Max and Chloe on their feet. 

The diner has changed a lot. There were no more roaches, no more jukeboxes, and no more etching on the tables. Now there is new tables and a brand new jukebox playing indie music instead of country or rock, and the place doesn't look like they have had a roach since the renovation. The uniforms are slightly the same but not as much. 

“Welcome to—_Chloe?_” Joyce inquires, looking at her daughter closely. “Is that you?”

“Yeah mom, it's me,” Chloe replies, and reluctantly hugs her mother. “How are you?”

“Well, surprised for one,” Joyce replies. “And Rachel, Max, it's so good to see you both.”

“Likewise, miss Joyce,” Max says back, a nostalgic smile on her face. “How are things?”

“Gentrification reared its ugly head and changed Arcadia Bay to a tourist spot, but I'm kinda glad of this change at least,” Joyce answers. “After losing my husband six years ago, I've decided to accept the single life and focus on me. Luckily, my boss made me the boss ‘round here and the kids aren't as ungrateful as I thought they would be.”

“You are always such a kind person and it's so infectious that people being mean to you is just..._unethical_,” Rachel says.

“I've had my fair share of terrible customers. I'll admit. But they usually come for one meal and never come back so that's a good thing.”

Chloe looks around and casts her eyes on her favorite spot which is currently empty, aside from a busboy wiping the table with a clean washcloth. “Come on, let's sit over there.”

“Go ahead and sit. I'll have a waiter out here for you.”

Max smiles and pushes Rachel towards the table. Chloe sits down across from both Rachel and Max. “Can you believe that? Joyce owning the joint?”

“She deserves that,” Max admits.

“She's been working here since she was a teenager so in a way, I agree,” Chloe replies. “So, about this reunion...I heard a bunch of people are going, except for the wicked witch of the west of course.”

“Thank _god_,” Rachel sighs out. “I don't think I can handle seeing Chase at the reunion. She's done so much bad that I'm very sure neither of us, nor the rest of the school could ever forgive her for what she did to Kate. If she were still alive, it would've been all four of us.”

Max snorts. “So I have to share my girlfriend with you two morons?”

“We’re your girlfriends, you moron,” Chloe jokes, picking up the menu and looking at it.

“Yeah but if it were the four of us, would you date Kate and make this a quartet?”

“I wouldn't but Rachel would,” Chloe replies. “Dating Kate would be like dating my sister. It'd be gross. Plus Rachel thought she was cute.”

“She was probably a top,” Rachel smirks.

“Oh my god Rach, you're fucking nasty,” Max laughs. She looks down at the menu, and notices the bacon omelette she's been eating since she were a child and already makes up her mind. “Already know what I'm getting.”

“Lemme guess, the bacon omelette,” Chloe mocks, rolling her eyes. 

Max grumbles. “Whatever. Let me be predictable once in my life.”

“Yeah, since every chance you get you try to be quirky,” Rachel quips. Chloe snorts away while Max glares at her. “Don’t glare at me, it’s true.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to cut the chapter in half because it was too much. second part will be posted when I have time.

** October 8th, 2021 **

Rainfall is expected tonight. It’s supposed to be a real storm, and not a shower that most Arcadians were expecting. It’s close to freezing thanks to global warming and climate change, and none of the residents stay outside for more than a few hours for anything other than food. No one wants to spend the day outside, that’s for sure.

A half empty bottle of cognac sits by the window. A dark skinned hand grabs it, and drinks it straight from the bottle instead of using the shot glass. Raymond Wells is drunk, _completely_ drunk. He’s considerate to drink after hours instead of during hours, or that would be a catastrophe. He’s been drinking heavily lately, with the death of his wife and the Kate situation that happened years back. To his knowledge, it’s the eighth year anniversary that he watched the student fall to her death from the Prescott dorm. The doors were open due to Madsen’s negligence, made to be a star in a viral video during a party orchestrated by Nathan Prescott, and she was left vulnerable by Mark Jefferson. It was indeed a tragedy.

After that, Wells ordered temporary leave for both Madsen and Jefferson, but both men returned to their jobs in December. He suspended Nathan, who didn’t take it well and was taken to a psychiatric facility. The school continually mourned for Kate’s death, even refusing for Wells to clean out the room and let another student live on campus. He left it untouched until the kids graduated. Now, it’s occupied by a student who recently reported seeing the ghost of Kate Marsh from time to time...and a bunny. To say they’re intrigued is an understatement. He solely hoped it wouldn’t turn out to be a Donnie Darko situation.

He hasn’t paid attention to his students during that time, dealing with his own problems and preferring to drink his troubles away, so he didn’t notice Chloe and Rachel taking over and bullying another student of his. He wouldn’t have stopped it anyway. He didn’t know how to.

Nevertheless, Chloe and Rachel were frequent visitors to his office due to their troublemaking. Rachel would often get in trouble over skipping class to enter a recreational vehicle, according to David Madsen, while Chloe often had drug charges...and there was that one fight with another student…and security.

Both of them were a force to be reckoned with. He often felt like he needed to get some fresh air because their very presence seemed suffocating. Both girls got good grades which was a plus, but they still had an angry streak that couldn’t be tamed. Out of all his students, he will admit that he misses Rachel and Chloe the least, and was immensely relieved when they graduated.

He takes another healthy swing of his cognac, only for it to be smacked out of his hand. “What the—“ a sudden strike to his head makes him fall over. He’s about to scream out when he receives a gag over his mouth. His screams are muffled, as a strong metal bat repeatingly hits every part of his body. It stops for a moment, only for it to be replaced with a stab right on his lower back. He screams, then feels another stab on his chest, and another and another. He falls into darkness after what feels like the tenth.

* * *

**June 30th, 2024**

Victoria _hates_ plane rides. She honestly preferred driving a lot better but it would take forever for Victoria to get to the Pacific, and she isn’t going to do that to her friend. Also she received her paroxetine the day before so she's ready for that month long Blackhell reunion.

If it weren't for Taylor’s enthusiasm, Victoria would attend for two weeks and then go back to Manhattan. Taylor is part of the alumni foundation as well as being the acting assistant principal so she convinces Victoria of all the activities that are going on. She's going to be staying with Taylor as well because while Nathan has a big mansion and her relationship with Nathan has never deteriorated, she respects Nathan enough to not stay in there at his request. Taylor's home isn't too bad either from the pictures she showed Victoria. 

The plane ride to Portland is a blur. Getting to Taylor’s house in neighboring Tillamook is even more of a blur. She stands right in front of the mansion looking home, wondering how Taylor was able to afford such a beautiful home, but then she remembered that mortgage and property taxes are way different here than it is at her condominium in the Upper West Side. She knocks on the door, and after waiting a few seconds, Taylor opens the door. “Victoria! You’re here!”

“Hey Taylor,” Victoria greets, hugging her best friend.

Taylor lets go of Victoria and grabs a suitcase. “Come on in. I’ve been expecting you.”

Victoria laughs a little. She looks around and everything looks so good, from the decor to the furniture. It looks like something out of HGTV. “Who decorated your home?”

“My mom helped,” Taylor replies. She guides Victoria to the guest room. “And this is the guest room.”

“Fucking hell.” Victoria leans her bags on the wall and sits on the bed. “It’s even more comfortable than it looks.”

“Victoria, you live in a penthouse with a king sized bed. This is nothing.”

Victoria rolls her eyes. “You’re right but still. I’m taking this bed with me when I leave.”

“Are you still considering leaving in two weeks?”

“I’m not sure, Taylor. As much as I am glad to see you and excited to see Court and Nate, who I’m probably gonna have to visit if he’s still locked in that estate, Arcadia Bay just brings unsavory memories that I’d like to forget. I don’t wanna think about my past. I wanna go to the future...and I know people will still blame me for driving Marsh to her grave six feet under, without looking at themselves.”

Taylor never necessarily blamed Victoria, which is why they’re still friends. She was pissed off for a bit, but managed to stand up for Victoria and make sure she survives the last bit of high school before moving to the big apple to get away from it all. It essentially ruined her relationship with Dana, but Taylor doesn’t care. “You know everyone wants to look for someone to blame and since everyone sees you as this huge bully…”

“Yeah, but there were _many_ people who ridiculed her for her faith. Brooke laughed in her face for being a Christian, your lovely ex-girlfriend ignored her the day she killed herself, Watson watched her video from start to finish...hell, even most of the Vortex Club members were watching it and bullying her before and after it. I posted it, I wasn’t kind to Marsh, I didn’t stop calling her names and making her feel like shit for her faith, but I recognize and take responsibility for it. Given the chance, I would go back and smack seventeen year old Victoria in the face and make her realize that bullying others isn’t cool, but all I can do is move on. However people don’t forget, Taylor. I didn’t want to come here at all. My boss Trisha forced me to take a sabbatical because of my writer’s block and...ugh. I should’ve probably went to Jamaica.”

Taylor is one of very few people in her life who knows of Victoria’s secret, and it’s going to stay that way. Victoria loves writing and illustrating her graphic novel series Vampho (vampire + the goddess Sappho), but because of her past, she has put her work under a pseudonym V.C. Horowitz, and if she needs to show up for any events, she lets her editor do it instead. No one knows other than Taylor, her roommate Mandy, her parents, and the entirety of her publishing company, and she has forced them into secrecy until she feels confident to release such information. “I know, but people don’t wanna take responsibility due to their own grief. You _know_ that.”

“Fine, but people should stop making it seem like Kate getting on that damn roof and jumping off was 100% me. I _never_ uttered the words ‘kill yourself’ to anyone, let alone her. _She_ made that decision for herself and she was her own person. At the end of the day, you make your own decisions, and she surely did. Now she’s six feet under and it's her fault, but I do take full responsibility and accountability for driving her to that point of hopelessness.”

“Good,” Taylor agrees. She wraps her arms around Victoria, pulling her in. “I missed you, so much.”

“Missed you too loser.”

“Seriously...your hair is fucking long, you’re glowing, you dress in black...what’s going on?”

“I’m going through a much needed goth phase,” Victoria jokes. “I don’t have a girlfriend if that’s what you’re implying. I broke up with Mandy a year ago but she still manages to live in my house and eat all my food...but I’m fine.”

“Are you really?”

“Yeah.” Victoria wants to change the subject because the topic of her love life is never fun. “So, despite my hatred for everything Arcadia Bay, I’ve been following this case about the Blackwell Killer. I was about to not show up because of this person.”

“There hasn’t been a reported murder since the person killed Jefferson last year, but they’ve noticed a pattern. Almost _everyone_ who has died either were students or faculty of Blackwell...like Madsen. We all hated him but seeing Joyce so heartbroken…”

“God,” Victoria sighs. She didn’t make it to the funeral but she made sure she paid her respects. She heard that Joyce’s own daughter didn’t go, and that set her off for a while. Victoria didn’t have much of a relationship with her parents until she grew up so she looked to the waitress as a slight mother figure. She always seemed so warm and caring, and finding out that piece of information made her hatred for Chloe Price grow even more. “I _wish_ I could’ve gone.”

“We can go see her at the diner if you want.”

“Probably not now because I’m gonna feel the jet lag in a few hours.”

Taylor gets up and faces Victoria. “Ok. Tomorrow is the welcoming dinner and I gotta be there before six thirty.”

“Ok ok,” Victoria replies. When Taylor leaves the room, Victoria fingers the sheet and looks around, tears welling in her eyes. This is going to be a tough thirty days of her life, and she wonders how she’s going to do it.

* * *

When Max wakes up the following morning, she finds herself face to face with Chloe’s feet and Rachel’s blond hair barely covering Chloe’s ankles. She lets out a soft giggle and sits up, staring at Chloe and Rachel as they sleep. She barely understood how she managed to get two girls instead of one, but she’s glad. When she came back to Arcadia Bay, Chloe wasn’t exactly thrilled but Rachel introduces herself and Max became fast friends with Rachel. She repaired her friendship with Chloe slowly but surely, and soon enough, they were all friends. Max started dating Kate for a few weeks before her suicide, with barely any knowledge of her own sexuality. However she knew she liked Kate...a lot...and Kate liked her too. She tried, but Kate seemed depressed a lot and it worsened once the party happened. 

When Kate committed suicide, Max was too devastated to confront Victoria about it, but everyone else did, effectively ostracizing her for what she did to Kate. However, Max never blamed Victoria entirely for what happened. Everyone had a hand in it, mostly by giving that video more views than it deserved. Victoria wasn’t exactly nice to her, but Max didn’t care and could see right through the girl easily, so when it became time, she told her off and that was that.

During that time, she started having a crush on Chloe, and Rachel was developing a crush on Max. It was complicated but Chloe came up with a great idea: all three of them dating each other. It’s been the best idea Chloe has ever come up with. 

When they graduated, they moved to LA and Max became a photographer, while Rachel became a model and Chloe started a small business that grew exponentially. They were perfectly well off and they were happy. There were times where Max wouldn’t see them for a couple weeks, claiming they were traveling, but she didn’t care. When they come home, the sex was wonderful, better than the time they left, and even took Max on vacations out of the country.

Max grabs the visual novel under the bed and starts reading. She finds herself enthralled by the Vampho graphic novel series by the ever so talented V.C. Horowitz. She has even expressed wanting to meet her after hearing of a couple friends meeting the artist and author. Max is on the second to last chapter where the protagonist Ashlee is turning to a vampire. She started reading them a year ago after Rachel recommended the book series, however the author hasn’t released anything about the last sequel in a year. There are five more books to read for Max before she considers reading the last book, if it ever comes out.

“Mmmm,” Rachel moans. “Good norming Max.”

“Mornin’ Rach,” Max greets back. 

Rachel stretches her body after sitting up, and then looks at her. “You can’t seem to put that book down, huh?”

“It’s _so_ fucking good,” Max groans. “How does the author come up with this? She had Ashlee turn while having sex with three other vampires? _And_ it’s consensual?”

“Right?” Rachel smiles.

“I would _love_ to meet the author someday. They gotta make movies out of this series. They _have_ to.”

Rachel chuckles a little. “Maybe they would. I’m just waiting for the author to release her last book.”

“Can you two keep it down? I’m trying to sleep,” Chloe groans. Rachel gives Max a knowing look, and silently agreeing with a nod, they start tickling Chloe’s sides to wake her up completely. “Fuck! Mercy! Mercy!” Chloe giggles.

“Who’s Mercy?” Max asks playfully.

Chloe narrows her eyes. “_Banana_.”

“Good little girl,” Max replies, smirking. “Now, are we gonna get breakfast or what?”

After getting dressed, they head downstairs for a very edible looking breakfast buffet. Chloe piles her plate with everything while Rachel settles on eggs with yogurt and Max takes biscuits, eggs, some bacon, and a cream cheese danish. Chloe gets two for cups of coffee for her and Max, and a bottle of water for Rachel. “This is actually good. Not like the crap we got when we went to Denver.”

“And there’s low fat yogurt,” Rachel comments.

“Still on that low fat kick?” Max inquires. “You’re skinny as hell, Rachel. You don’t need to lose any more weight.”

“It’s either low fat or stuffing your fingers down your throat,” Rachel says, not at all serious.

Max rolls her eyes. “Whatthefuckever.”

“No, _none_ of that,” Chloe groans. “That reminds me of the shitholes from the Vortex Club.”

“Nathan used to say that a lot,” Rachel says.

Max blinks a couple times. “What even happened to him?”

“He was sent to a psychiatric center until he was released in 2019, but he hasn’t been heard from since. Sources say he’s taken over the Prescott empire after his parents moved to Florida but he hasn’t left his house.”

“So he _won’t_ be at the reunion,” Chloe smirks.

“Definitely not,” Rachel confirms.

Chloe grins wider. “Good! First Vic-bore-ia now Coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs Nathan. It’s gonna be a good reunion.”

“How do we even know Victoria won’t be there?” Max inquires.

“For one thing, she fucked off,” Chloe shrugs. “She deleted all of her accounts and hasn’t been seen or heard from since our last day of school. That’s better for us ‘cause that _bitch_ deserves nothing but some good karma for what she did to Kate.”

“I’m pretty sure she learned her lesson after you two beat her up in the hallway,” Max frowns. 

“I don’t think so,” Rachel shrugs. “She tried to spread that ridiculous rumor of me fucking with Frank and Jefferson, terrorized other students, and bullied Kate to the point of suicide. If she _ever_ shows her face, she’s a dumbass. No one would accept her through those doors.”

“I think she’s the one killing all of those people who used to go to Blackwell,” Chloe hypothesizes. “Something tells me she didn’t _exactly_ fuck off. She’s somewhere in the forests of Arcadia Bay, stalking her prey, and killing those people.”

“Why would she have a reason to kill anyone from the list of victims?” Max questions. “She barely even knew them.”

Chloe shrugs. “She hated everyone and everyone hated her. This would be a perfect opportunity to strike because all of us are getting together. She probably snapped and is planning something right now.”

Max’s eyebrows furrow. “That sounds far fetched, don’t you think? Plus, why would she kill your father?”

“Hell if I know,” Rachel replies. “She probably did kill them, who knows?”

“_She_ would know,” Chloe replies. “Anyways, can we stop talking about that bitch? The less I think about Icky Vicky, the better I can feel about this reunion.”

While her girlfriends continue to eat, Max stares at her half empty plate, her appetite ruined.

* * *

At around six, Chloe takes the girls to Blackwell Academy. Nothing has changed about the school, nothing at all, which might be a good thing. After Wells’ murder, the school quickly finds a principal and the school has been better under a new principal. The Vortex Club’s been shut down after Rachel’s graduation, but that’s a good thing because it was a haven for kids to get their shitty fix from Nathan the Resident Drug Handler. Chloe hasn’t exactly quit the drugging lifestyle but she has reduced her smoking. However, coming back here makes her want to smoke again.

“I want a smoke,” Chloe mumbles.

“No, Chloe. You promised to quit,” Max stresses. 

Chloe sighs. She walks up the stairs and enters the school. Two Blackwell faculty, the first one is the principal Beatrice Greene and the acting assistant principal Taylor Christensen, welcome all three of them. “Rachel! Chloe! Max! Glad to see you three again!” Taylor greets sweetly.

Chloe snarls, Rachel grimaces, and Max smiles, shaking Taylor’s hand. “Hey, Taylor. How are you?”

“Good, good,” Taylor replies.

Chloe always thought Taylor was the fakest person in school, starting from her nose to her toes. She still looks fake. It also looks like she dyes her hair blond because she’s seeing a bit of dark brown in her roots. She doesn’t have a bang anymore and looks a lot more professional, but Chloe would never like Taylor. “Christensen.”

“Chloe, great as ever,” Taylor replies. “I see you took my advice on wearing something more girly,” she jokes lightly.

Rachel narrows her eyes a little. Chloe looks down at her outfit - a simple tank dress with her signature leather jacket - and then back at Taylor, who looks like she regretted saying that, despite it being a joke. “That _never_ gets old, huh?”

“Anyways, uh, you can go straight to the cafeteria. That’s where all of the magic is happening.” Rachel and Chloe head to the cafeteria without another word. Max stays back and gives Taylor an apologetic look before following her girlfriends.

“You didn’t have to be so mean,” Max hisses to Chloe. “She wasn’t even serious.”

“I don’t care,” Chloe scoffs.

Max decides to keep her mouth shut until they reach the cafeteria. It’s filled with old students talking amongst themselves, including Courtney Wagner talking to Juliet Watson, and Justin Williams catching up with Trevor, who has a very pregnant Dana Yard by his side. Max found out about everyone’s professions thanks to social media, and also makes sure she doesn’t say their maiden names for the married ones.

“Chloe! Rachel! Max!” Justin invites the three of them over. Chloe greets Justin first, shaking his hand. Rachel and Max hug him, ignoring the smell of weed on him. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen the wonderful triad.”

“I know,” Rachel grins. “Hey Trevor, Dana.”

“Hey Rachel,” Dana grins. “How are you?”

“Good, and I see you’re expecting in a few minutes.”

Dana chuckles. “This is the second child, Rachel. I’m definitely ready my second time around.” 

“Oh yeah, I forgot you had a child already,” Max notes. She tries not to remember the pregnancy scare Dana received back when they were in school. God, that was scary. She also tries not to remember the look on Trevor’s face when Dana started dating Taylor. She looks happier, but that isn’t to say Dana wasn’t happy with Taylor. “Congrats on your second.”

“Thanks!” Dana replies. “I was about to quit the reunion especially after the murders happening around here, but Trevor was so eager to see his best friend again and to be honest, I wanted to see everyone again...well, almost everyone. Still not thrilled on seeing my ex-girlfriend much…”

“You’re married, babe,” Trevor reminds her. 

“I know. I just...ugh.”

Max was wondering if Dana’s talking about her ex-girlfriend or Victoria...or both, but this confirms it. “Not gonna lie, I momentarily thought you were talking about Taylor’s best friend.”

“I don’t blame you,” Dana smirks. “My hatred of Victoria has lessened over the years, but I'm not ready to forgive and forget just yet.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll hate her for you,” Chloe winks. “Hell, I think she might be the one killing all those people around town.”

“Hmm…” Trevor hums. “To be honest, it would surprise me if Victoria snapped in the last ten years. She wasn’t that great but once everyone started hating her, she was just...not the same.”

“You were watching her or something?” Justin asks.

“In a way,” Trevor answers.

“Don’t tell me you felt bad for the demon,” Chloe groans.

“I don’t, but I don’t know Chloe. Having the entire school hate you? It’s the same thing we did to Kate and you know how _that_ turned out,” Trevor points out. 

“I agree,” Dana replies. “Victoria has anxiety...she was freaking out all year. She was definitely not the same after that. Not that I feel sorry for her but...looking back at that? Not my proudest moment...especially when we did that superlative.”

“Kate didn’t deserve to be hated by the entire school. Victoria did,” Rachel says. “She treated everyone like shit. She dug her grave and she has to live with that for the rest of her lonely life. God, i just...after Kate’s suicide, even mentioning her gets me all riled up.”

Max raises an eyebrow. That was a lie because they couldn’t seem to get Victoria’s name out their mouths, especially recently. “Alright, enough about Victoria,” Chloe declares.

Max looks at Trevor and Dana, and they give each other looks that all three of them can understand. “Alright. Well, aside from Sticky Vicky, I think it’s Nathan,” Justin hypothesizes. “Think about it. He hasn’t been seen since he got released from the hospital.”

“You do realize that David Madsen was killed before he was released right?” Rachel says.

“He could’ve escaped!” Justin exclaims.

Max, Chloe, Rachel, Dana, and Trevor roll their eyes. “While you keep thinking it’s Nathan, I’ll believe it’s the female version of Satan,” Chloe says.

“Plus, Nathan’s too easy,” Rachel discusses even further. “He’s always been twitchy and nervous. He would kill more erratically, in my opinion.”

“_Someone_ watches a lot of Snapped,” Justin jokes. 

“What can I say, it’s a guilty pleasure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyone wanna take a guess on who the killer is


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t apologize if I use New Yorker jargon while Victoria speaks. I’m born and raised in the city. Plus even though she’s what we consider a transplant, people who move here do eventually pick up on the lingo. And that’s facts, son. ;)

Victoria swallows the small pill and downs the cup of water. She looks at herself in the mirror, appalled at what she sees. Dark circles and acne scars. It’s so weird how much acne she has accumulated over the years due to stress. 

Exhaling, she opens her makeup bag and gets to work. She goes for a smoky rose gold look with black lipstick, as per usual. She combs through her hair and braids it to a side ponytail. “Yup, floppy hat it is.” Victoria casts her eyes down, looking at the sleeveless black dress adorned with white pearls for buttons and the half sleeve cardigan she decided to wear. While they’re not famous name brands, she’s lucky she brought her favorite Christian Louboutins on the trip so that she won’t seem too humbled out, if people recognize her.

Victoria hasn’t changed much. She just wears a lot of makeup, mostly because she feels like it. The all black? She loves wearing black. She always looks like she’s ready for a funeral and with the hat she likes to wear, she would also be ready for the beach or the Kentucky Derby. Victoria chortles at her own inside joke, and grabs the floppy hat that effectively hides her face. “_Perfect_.”

She grabs her clutch and leaves the house, opting to get a cab over to Blackwell. She convinced Taylor to go without her, especially when Victoria hates getting to places extra early. She gets there in less than an hour, and is transported back to 2013-14. She hated every minute, hour, and day of that school year. When Kate killed herself, Victoria was numb, but the entire school started hating and ostracizing her. That year she felt truly alone and she often had panic attacks over it. Taylor tried to be there but her actions were limited because of her relationship with Dana. Courtney, _sweet_ sweet Courtney tried as well but Victoria constantly pushed her away. Nathan got transported to the psychiatric ward after a terrible mental breakdown in the wake of his suspension, and _that_ was her support system. Rachel and Chloe surely made her suffer for what happened to Kate, and while Max stayed away from the action, she eventually told Victoria how she felt for her ex-girlfriend’s death and it wasn’t exactly nice.

Needless to say, Victoria tried to find ways to get away from it all, but to no avail.

She found a friend in Stephanie Gingrich, a former student at Blackwell. The friendship didn’t last long because she found out what Victoria did, which saddened her even more. Victoria was always depressed and always knew something wasn’t right, but 2014 was her breaking point. Aside from panic attacks, once she lost a friend in Steph she started having suicidal thoughts and there were moments where she would keep a sharp razor in her back pocket.

A month before graduation, Victoria and her parents agreed on sending her to a psychiatric facility for a few months. Within that month, she looks at places in NYC with her father, just to get away from the Pacific Northwest. She also speaks to Wells about possibly sending her diploma to her parents’ estate since she is not planning on attending the graduation at all. 

Once she completed treatment, a few months after graduation, she moves into her new condominium. Her parents forwarded her diploma, but the only reason why Victoria keeps it is for verification records. If given the chance, Victoria would’ve shredded that piece of paper long ago.

Being in the concrete jungle jumpstarts a series that would change her life _forever_. 

Within months, Victoria starts writing Vampho. The premise is lesbian vampires of color, and Victoria went with it because she figured it would be a hit, considering that LGBT vampires (and non-white vampires in general) weren’t common in romance or even in the vampire fiction genre. She completed her first novel the following year, but she decided it should be a graphic novel so she starts drawing scenes, and with the help of her then-girlfriend Mandy, they finish the graphic part of her novel.

When Victoria published it, she uses a pseudonym V.C. Horowitz. Horowitz is her mother’s maiden name (and yes, her mother does have Jewish heritage) and the other part is just her regular initials. She considered using Maribeth Horowitz (M. Horowitz was another choice), but Mandy argued against it, saying the other one sounded cool, akin to J.K. Rowling. The publishing company wanted her to do book signings and other things where she would have to show her face, but Victoria did _not_ want her past to come back to her so she trusted her editor Fiona Balor to pose for her. It wasn’t easy convincing her boss, a black woman named Trisha Young, that Victoria isn’t fit to show her face. However, after Victoria showed her a doctor-mandated order, she relents, and Victoria makes sure that people in and out do not reveal the truth of Victoria’s pseud. 

Since then, Victoria has won awards and received fame and fortune from her sextology, but it’s supposed to be a septology and lately, she hasn’t been able to write or draw the third chapter for her book. She's in a better place than the time she wrote the first book thanks to a wonderful therapist, those lovely little paroxetine pills, and also quitting smoking and drug use (aside from weed and alcohol in _healthy_ consumption) long ago. She didn’t hear about the reunion until around the time she was writing her second chapter to the last book (since it was planned a year in advance), and already swore it off...until her ex-girlfriend and roommate Mandy convinced her otherwise.

She walks up the stairs and enters the school, breathing out to prepare herself. “Hey!” Taylor greets. “Watch out, Chloe and Rachel are already there and they didn’t exactly...mellow out.”

“Great,” Victoria mutters. “Here goes _nothing_, huh?”

Taylor walks with Victoria to the cafeteria. Victoria keeps her hat on as they sit right next to Courtney Wagner. “Ay, detective!” Taylor smirks.

Courtney casts her eyes up, and immediately her eyebrows shoot up. “Oh my god, you’re _here_!” Courtney beams, and hugs Victoria, who hugs back and prays that no one heard that. “How have you been? And what’s with the black? And the hat?”

“Good, I like black, and the hat is so you two can recognize me and everyone else from afar can wonder who the fuck I am...in that order. What about _you_, miss detective? Last I heard of you, you were a police officer.”

“I just got the job, actually,” Courtney admits. “And guess what my first case is? The fucking Blackwell Killer case that’s been going on for almost seven years.”

“Any leads?” Victoria asks, curious.

“None that I can mention,” Courtney replies. 

“Damn,” Victoria sighs. “That shit intrigues me though. Why would someone think about killing a bunch of students and faculty from school? And then James Amber’s murder was just out of pocket.”

“Didn’t he have cameras in his home?” Taylor asks.

Courtney shakes her head. “They were disabled at the time of his murder. In fact, they’ve been disabled since Rachel moved. I can tell you that because it was public knowledge.”

Victoria’s eye twitch slightly. _Rachel_. She _hated_ Rachel, but she couldn’t choose whether she hated Rachel or Chloe more. Remembering that Taylor said both of them are here, she scans the room for the two bitches. She finds them in seconds — Rachel is grinning, talking to Chloe and her face has so much makeup on with platinum blond hair. Chloe on the other hand, has her hair chopped completely off, keeping it in a pixie cut a la Victoria circa 2012. Max is between them, and everything has changed about her. She looks kinder and softer, and it looks like she finally peaked in the last ten years they haven’t seen each other. She turns her head once she sees Max looking straight at her and furrowing her eyebrows. “Shit.”

“What happened?” Courtney asks.

“I made eye contact with Caulfield,” Victoria replies.

Taylor tilts her head to the side. “You think she recognized you?”

“I hope not. I can’t have that on my ass.”

When the welcoming dinner starts, Victoria relaxes, noticing that neither Max nor does anyone else recognize her for almost half of the evening. That is, until Alyssa tries to pull Courtney away from Taylor and Victoria. 

Victoria narrows her eyes. She _never_ liked Alyssa Anderson. Never did, and never will. “What are you—“ she freezes, catching herself in a situation she may never come back from.

“_Victoria Chase?_” Alyssa asks incredulously, then straightens up and snarls. “I thought we got rid of the parasites when we graduated.”

“Yeah, we did. _You_ were one of them,” Victoria retorts. She can feel her old self resurfacing, and she’s definitely not going to let it subside. “I see you’re looking half as decent from when we last saw each other. You finally put down the burgers and lost the beer belly!”

“Hm, and you’re still as irrelevant as ever...maybe even _more_,” Alyssa fires back.

If only you knew, Victoria thinks, her smirk becoming more mischievous as she notices a fanmade tee of her lesbian vampire series under Alyssa’s blazer. “But you’re still not doing anything, now are you? How’s that aborted chicklit book going for you?”

Taylor snorts into her drink. “Oh yeah? It’s getting published later this year. What’s _your_ excuse?” Alyssa retorts.

Victoria couldn’t reply to that because she would reveal her identity. Plus she would lose a bunch of revenue. “I’m rich, Anderson. But whatever. You’re lucky I’m in a good mood. Now run along, yeah?”

Alyssa smirks triumphantly. “I’m sure the rest of the school would be _delighted_ to hear of your comeback. _That_ might make your mood better.” Before Victoria can stop her, Alyssa clears her throat and opens her mouth, with the microphone in her hand. “Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in the pleasure of welcoming Blackwell’s most hated student, Miss Victoria Maribeth Chase!”

Victoria clenches her fists and is seconds away from punching Alyssa when she feels a hat knock off her head and the front of her cardigan being pulled up into an angry embrace. “What the _fuck_ are you doing here, Chase?”

Victoria is face to face with Chloe Price, the one person she hated more than herself. She truly hasn’t changed a bit and it _shows_. “Chloe!” Taylor exclaims.

“Answer the question, bitch!” Chloe yells. “What are you doing here?”

Victoria shoves Chloe roughly, but Chloe manages to catch herself. “I came to visit my friends, you subway rat.”

“Friends? That’s laughable!” Chloe merely gestures to Taylor and Courtney. “Are _these_ your friends?”

“Chloe, this isn’t necessary,” Courtney reasons. “She was just here for us only.”

“I find that funny when you were talking shit about Victoria once Kate ended her life,” Chloe retorts.

Victoria grows angry. She straightens her clothes and faces Chloe, not caring if her ass is gonna get kicked. Victoria may be mentally ill and she doesn’t have much self defense skills, but no one talks to any of her friends like that. “Get the fuck away from us, Price. You’ve done _enough_.”

“How about you get the fuck out of here?” Rachel argues.

Victoria gives Rachel the scariest of looks. “Back your hoe ass the fuck up. I’m _definitely_ not talking to you.”

“_Excuse me?_” Rachel gets up and narrows her eyes into slits.

“You heard me,” Victoria retorts. She’s minutes away from smirking. She’s still got it. “I’m not here to deal with any of you. I’m here for my friends.”

“You’re a dumbass for even showing your face here, especially after the shit you did to all of us, including Kate,” Rachel argues. “You think you’d be welcomed with open arms in ten years? In twenty years? Hell, in _fifty_ years? You killed Kate!”

“I killed Kate?” Victoria finally snaps. “You know what? I’m so sick and tired of everyone here making me feel like shit for someone who killed themselves, ten years _fucking_ later! All of you had a hand in Kate’s suicide, _all of you_, even the ones who are dead! No one is innocent, no one is safe. You’re all ugly excuses of humans who look for someone to blame because you don’t want to look at yourselves and wonder what the fuck you did wrong! I took responsibility for playing a part in Kate jumping off the roof, but I did not kill her. What about you?”

The cafeteria grows silent. Victoria huffs in triumph. “That’s what the fuck I thought. If you don’t have anything else to say—“

“It should’ve been _you_,” Juliet interjects.

Victoria glares at Juliet. “Now I know your—“ she stops herself momentarily. No, that was enough old Victoria for one moment. “What should’ve been me, me on that roof? Would that make you feel better that either way, you’re contributing to someone’s own shitty mental health?”

“You weren’t concerned about that when Kate was alive, now where you?” Juliet argues. “You were only concerned with yourself.”

“Why yes, but I’ve learned from my shitty mistakes, Watson. Ten years ago isn’t a millennium, but it sure was long ago. And we’re all adults. Had you people not ambush me I would’ve ignored everyone in this room and went about my night.”

“But here’s the thing..._no one_ wants you here,” Chloe says, making almost everyone else agree in response. 

“I want her here, and this is _my_ fucking event,” Taylor shoots back. “Don’t think I can’t, and most definitely don’t think I _won’t_ shut this whole thing down and send all of you home.”

Victoria groans. “Taylor don’t worry about it.” She should’ve stayed home instead of going to a shitty reunion event. This was a fucking bust. “You win.” She turns around and is ready to exit the cafeteria when Taylor grabs her wrist. “Taylor. Let go. I’ll see you back at home.” 

“No, let me go with you. There’s another event a few days from now anyway.” Taylor walks with her best friend back to the front of the school, then to the parking lot, and inside the car. No more words are exchanged as Taylor drives back to her home. When Taylor parks the car, Victoria immediately exits the car. Taylor opens the front door for her, and she goes straight to the guest room. Taylor sees a track of mascara running down Victoria’s face for a moment, and her heart breaks.

She wants to go back and tear Chloe limb from limb. She had no reason to ambush someone like that. It’s been a decade since the events that made a student commit suicide and people still find a way to blame her instead of themselves. Taylor couldn’t blame anyone for such an event and if Kate were alive, she wouldn’t blame Victoria either. So why are people _blaming_ her?

She also didn’t want to mention the little tidbit of a conversation she heard earlier where several students think Victoria is back to kill them all. Victoria would _never_ resort to violence unless absolutely necessary and she doesn’t even have the heart to kill or maim a person, especially when her words were _enough_. She’s learned from her mistakes and has rehabilitated into a successful author with six books and lives in a beautiful penthouse with a nice roommate, and sometimes she can be a mean bitch but it’s a coping mechanism that she understands is not healthy and she fights the urge...until _today_ when she had to resort to mean, bitchy Victoria just so everyone else can back off. But that was necessary.

Sure, there are deaths going around Arcadia Bay, but Victoria hasn’t had a reason to come back and doesn’t need one. She has travelled to certain places but makes sure that Oregon is the one place she does _not_ visit. 

Taylor pulls out a tub of ice cream and puts some in a bowl. That always makes her friends feel better. She takes off her high heels, unravels her hair, and walks to the guest room, where she can really hear the sniffles. “Vic?”

“Leave me alone Taylor.”

Taylor doesn’t listen. This is _her_ house after all. She waltzes right in and sits next to Victoria, who’s lying down and covering her face with a black sheet. “I got Oreo ice cream.”

“I don’t want it.”

“What? My best friend, who loves Oreo ice cream, doesn’t _want_ it?” She places the bowl to the side and stares at Victoria. “She might want...a visit from the tickle monster!” She tickles Victoria, making her laugh and for her to sit up, removing the sheet from her face.

“Fuck! You got it!” Victoria laughs. “Give me the fucking ice cream, Christensen.”

Taylor gives her the bowl. “That was a disaster. I know both Chloe and Rachel can be mean but for them to ambush you like that? It’s been a decade!”

“They’re fucking immature brats,” Victoria mumbles. 

“You said it.” Taylor retrieves her phone from her pocket, and scans the message she got from Courtney. The reunion is about to end and the principal is looking for her. She messages back, telling her she went back home to comfort her best friend. “Luckily the welcoming feast is about to end. The Blackwell BBQ and fireworks show is in three days, then there’s the brunch, and then the speed friendship event—“

“Why did you plan so much events for a bunch of dickheads?”

“The brunch and BBQ was my idea,” Taylor admits. “Principal Greene wanted to have a month because she said that happened at Arcadia Bay Magnet. I wasn’t opposed, but I didn’t care for anything else. I figured a week would suffice, because I surely didn’t want to see anyone other than you or Courtney, but that’s what the boss lady says.”

“You didn’t want to see Ward?”

“After Dana dumped me for having your back, I wanted _nothing_ to do with her. Still fucking do, by the way. She married Trevor and had two kids by him. That could’ve been us, but I wasn’t willing to leave my best friend, one I knew longer, to have a relationship with Dana. I’ll be fine though. She’s living her best life and so am I. To be honest, seeing Amber and Price made my mood worsen by a hundred percent. They just give off bad vibes now.”

“I told you that, didn’t I? I said what I said thirteen years ago, and I’mma say it again. Price and Amber are terrible people.”

“Earlier, before you came, I heard them talking about the Blackwell Killer case and they think you’re it. I was like...never in this millennium.”

“Why would they think I would travel all the way from my penthouse in New York City to shitty ass Arcadia Bay, let alone _Oregon_ in general, to kill _any_ of those people? I may hate Blackwell, but not enough to kill people. They just want a reason to get me out of the way.”

“Yeah, they’ve always got something against you since Kate died.”

“Marsh was their girl. Aside from her religious ways they saw her as this do no wrong angel. I get it. I would totally fight every fuckboy and fuckgirl for you and Courtney if given the chance. But...I ain’t that cruel. _Anymore_.”

“There’s a difference in sticking up for a dead girl and attacking others. Kate would despise both of them for doing that. I know that much, even if I didn’t like Kate as much as you did.”

“What if she would’ve liked it? Maybe Marsh was just as spiteful as the others, despite her Christian upbringing. But we’ll never know because she chose to end her life. It was a tragedy indeed, but looking back at it now, something tells me the video was the least of her problems. I think it was a mere 15 percent. Maybe Marsh wanted to kill herself the entire time and the video was basically ‘enough is enough’ for her.” Victoria stares at her empty bowl and looks at Taylor. “Anyway, I’m sick about talking about a dead girl I don’t give a fuck about and her shitty ex-friends. God, I wanted to expose myself to Anderson, especially after seeing that shirt. Like bitch, you might have a chicklit coming out soon, but I have a _whole_ entire series on your ass.”

Taylor laughs a little. “Just imagine the look on Anderson’s face. She would _die_.”

“Exactly,” Victoria smirks. “But, maybe another time. Right now, I’m glad having Fifi handle the book signings for me. She knows my signature so well at this point.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice to put your face on it? Take the full credit for a series that the entire world loves so much? It’s almost on par with Harry Potter at this point.”

“It’s not _that_ iconic but...it does sound nice. Maybe after everyone buys my last book. People from Blackwell can burn my books but they’re buying it, _right?_”

“That’s the spirit!” Taylor agrees. “Are you gonna be ok for now?”

“Don’t worry about me, Taylor. All you need to worry about is making sure your events don’t turn into the People of Blackwell, Class of 2014 vs. Victoria Maribeth Chase Horowitz.”

Taylor rolls her eyes, and hugs her best friend. “I’m gonna get some real food since we didn’t get a chance to eat any at the feast. Any requests?”

“You got a pizza place ‘round here?”

Taylor smirks. “It’s not as good as Brooklyn.”

“You damn right it ain’t as good as Brooklyn. _Fuggheadaboutit_,” Victoria smirks back. “Around this time, after one of my severe panic attacks, Mandy and I would get knishes from the delicatessen. That would always put me back in a better mood, other than weed and paroxetine.”

“Is it _really_ that good?”

Victoria raises an eyebrow. “You’re coming back to New York with me. That’s it.”

Taylor chuckles and pulls out her phone, immediately clicking on the DoorDash app. “Alright. Let’s get some carbs in you, bitch.”


	4. Chapter 4

** November 1st, 2020 **

A flicker. _Bright_. The streetlight comes to life at the beginning of sundown. Corvallis, Oregon isn’t exactly known for the quiet, rather known for one of its nicest colleges, but there’s a town too. Rows of one family homes decorate the streets amongst the city and the campus life of young OSU undergrads who look for a good time since they’re away from home. A flicker. _Darkness_.

That streetlight is due for a fix, but who cares?

After his subsequent expulsion from Blackwell, Eliot Hampden moved to Corvallis. He never completed school, never feeling the need to, but he did do a bunch of stalking on a current bluenette that stole his heart the minute he met her. Chloe was his friend, someone he can confide in. He loved Chloe, even though he knew in the back of his mind that she couldn’t love him. Her blatant lesbian vibes were there since the beginning, but Eliot prayed for a chance. He got one, in the form of unceremonious, yet unadulterated sex. Eliot longed for a relationship but Chloe looked for release, to get away from life’s bullshit...to _escape_.

So when she denied him, he wouldn’t let her go...until he had to. His expulsion made his relationship with Chloe suffer and his relationship with his mom no longer exist, but he didn’t care. He moved, worked odd jobs, and got his life together, despite not owning a high school diploma. He could get an equivalent, but that’s way too much work. It’s over.

He couldn’t trust Rachel. She seemed manipulative and untrustworthy, and he would’ve been right if Chloe could just see that. However Rachel is all over Chloe’s social media. They’re in a relationship, along with some brunette Eliot finalized as Max. They were all together instead of just ChloeRachel. It was _ChloeRachelMax_, and they looked happy. Even after the suicide of a student, things seemed ok with them. Eliot couldn’t help but feel jealous.

He puts down his book, then gets ready for bed. However he hears something that prevents him from falling asleep. Eliot grabs his robe and heads downstairs to check the damage. A window is left open...he forgot that he didn’t close it. Once he shuts the window, a sudden blow knocks him unconscious. 

* * *

** July 4th, 2024 **

“Oh _goddamnit_,” Dana Yard growls, looking at her dropped pearl necklace on the floor. “Trev! Can you get my necklace from the floor?”

Trevor picks it up from the floor and instead puts it on for Dana. She looks at herself in the mirror, her stomach bulging out through her navy blue maxi dress with white polka dots. The barbecue party is happening on the park near the lighthouse, exactly where a grill is located. Dana’s ready for some food and some games, even though she won’t be able to do much other than sit down and stay close to Trevor.

She dated Trevor after the mess with Logan, but they broke up weeks later. She finds solace in Taylor Christensen, who isn’t as bad or fake as everyone pegs her to be. She’s a good listener, and a good kisser too. Their relationship lasted for months, even after Kate’s suicide and Victoria’s social exile. Dana couldn’t stand Victoria at the time and for that reason, she often would make Taylor spend less time with Victoria and more time with her. Taylor caught on pretty fast, and defended her best friend, causing them to break up. Dana wasn’t happy about it, but then she had sex with Trevor the night of her breakup with Taylor...and Katelyn was born forty weeks later. No one knew because she was only three months pregnant during graduation and while she did gain weight, it wasn’t much.

Dana eventually proposed (that’s right, _she_ proposed) and married Trevor between those ten years. They moved to Corvallis, where Dana and Trevor went to school together and got their degrees together. Dana became a manager for a retail store while Trevor studied even further to become the nurse he is now. Dana kept tabs on the Blackwell Killer, especially after hearing of Eliot’s death. He lived two homes down and was killed silently while people were sleeping. When Stella was murdered, that’s when Dana started to worry...and eventually come up with theories on who _might_ be the killer.

For a while, Dana thought it was Victoria. She knew in the back of her mind that that was not the case, because other than Victoria having a mental illness including anxiety, Victoria didn’t have any reason to come back here. She _really_ didn’t. Dana grew up a lot within ten years, and that included understanding what she did to Taylor was wrong, and what she did to Victoria wasn’t any better.

Dana and Rachel organized the “most hated” superlative especially for Victoria. Her portrait was defaced intentionally so that it would print out in the way it was defaced. Dana looks back on it and wonders if she can smack the shit out of eighteen year old Dana. That was straight up cruel, especially after the panic attack the girl had in the bathrooms moments after finding that page.

She thought it was Nathan too, but Nathan has an airtight alibi: the psych ward.

“There you go,” Trevor says, smiling.

“Thanks,” Dana smiles back, touching her pearls. “Are you ready for this barbecue?”

“Definitely,” Trevor replies. “I hope it isn’t as much of a disaster as the welcoming feast.”

“Victoria shouldn’t have shown up,” Dana admits. 

“Dana. It’s been _ten_ years,” Trevor defends, with a deep frown. “I can agree and say that we shouldn’t trust or like Victoria, but—“

“That isn’t what I meant, Trev,” Dana sighs. “It’s just that...she knew people still hate her after that shit. Why would she come?”

“Maybe she wanted to. She _definitely_ has a right to.”

“Well, yes, but...I don’t know. I wouldn’t come if I knew the entire former student body hates me,” she concedes. “But...she was right that night. We need to look at ourselves and realize that sometimes doing nothing can affect others. I did nothing after that video was posted. None of us did. We just let Kate get up there and die.”

Trevor silently agrees. “And Chloe and Rachel were giving me some off vibes.”

“_Right?_” Dana gasps. She didn’t feel it when they were kids, but now it’s a different story. “Maybe we should keep our distance...but fuck, Max is one of my friends.”

“That’s the only reason why I even entertain those two,” Trevor replies.

“Come on, let’s go to this shindig.” Dana gives Katelyn a hug and gives the babysitter an appointed stare before leaving. Trevor follows suit.

The drive to the park is silent. 

The park is populated with former students, including Chloe, Rachel, and Max talking to Alyssa. He helps Dana out the car and they walk towards their friends. “Hey you guys!” Dana greets.

“Dana!” The girls cheer in unison.

“We were just complimenting Alyssa’s work last night,” Chloe smirks.

Alyssa bows down and smirks. “My best work, if I do say myself. And good move to kick the bitch out, Chloe.”

“My best work as well.” Chloe puts her arms around Rachel and Max’s shoulders. “If she’s smart, she wouldn’t show up to the barbecue either.” 

Dana resists the urge to roll her eyes while Max grimaces, looking at the figure she presumes as Victoria talking with Taylor and Courtney a few feet away. She turns to her girlfriend, who notices the grimace on her face. “Maxaroni. Out with it.”

“What?”

“I know that face. That’s the same face you made when you were looking at Vic-bore-ia a few days ago.” Chloe decides to look for herself, and just as she suspected, Victoria showed up along with her friends. “For fuck’s sake.” She removes her arms and charges, but Trevor holds her back. “Trevor, what the fuck?”

“It isn’t worth it, Chloe. You know it.”

“Like hell it isn’t.” Chloe removes herself from Trevor’s grip and charges to Victoria. “I told you to never show your face here again.”

“Leave me alone, Price,” Victoria sighs.

“I will throw you off this cliff if you don’t leave—“

“How about you leave before I throw _you_ off the cliff?” Taylor growls, putting a protective hand in front of Victoria. “Remember what I told you at the feast, Price. This is _my_ event. This _whole_ fucking reunion is my event, along with the principal’s. If you have a problem with Victoria being here, _you can get the fuck out of here!_ That goes for everyone here, in fact. I don’t care how much you hate Victoria but what you’re not gonna do is kick her out for being here and staying out of your way. And if you’re gonna leave, _don’t_ come to any of the events for the rest of the _month!_”

“Taylor, you don’t have to—“

“No, I mean it!” Taylor argues.

Chloe narrows her eyes. “Ok bitch. You win.” She glares at Victoria with an intensity that makes the girl back up. “Be forewarned. Your friends may not always be here to back your gangly ass up.”

When she stalks away, Victoria exhales in relief. “Taylor! What the _fuck_ was that?”

“That was me being done with Chloe’s shit,” Taylor replies.

“Badass,” Courtney smirks. “If I do say myself.”

Victoria looks back at Chloe, narrowing her eyes after thinking about what she said about how her friends won’t always be here to back her up. That sounded oddly suspicious.

* * *

The fireworks explode at around nine. Every student walked up the hill (Dana being carried by Trevor and Justin instead of walking up the hill) and take seats in front of the lighthouse. Everyone was amazed. Max takes several photos of everyone at the event, right after. She stops in front of Victoria and her friend Courtney, who didn’t pay attention to Max at first until Victoria notices her.

Victoria isn’t thrilled at all to see Max, especially with the knowledge of Max being connected to two people she hated. “What the fuck do you want, Caulfield?”

Max frowns deeply. “Victoria. I’m not like them—“

“That doesn’t mean I have to trust you,” Victoria snarls. 

“_Victoria_,” Courtney frowns.

“Can I just get a picture of the two of you? I can give it to you as soon as it prints out. The power of Polaroids,” Max offers, with a warm smile.

“You still carry around that dinosaur? The Fujifilm Instax exists,” Courtney says, her voice with some concern.

“Yeah but I like being retro.” She looks at Victoria again. “Please? One picture and that’s it.”

“Fine, Caulfield! One picture, and it’s back to your bully girlfriends. I rather not get my ass kicked tonight because of you.” Victoria poses next to her best friend and offers her best smile, when Max snaps a photo of the both of them, the picture printing out instantly. She removes it and shakes it a couple times before giving it to Victoria. “Oh, that’s cute.”

“Victoria manages to look good despite being decked in black and sweating like a bitch on heat,” Courtney frowns. 

“Jealous, Wagner?” Victoria wags her eyebrows, then stares at Max. “Thanks...Caul—_Maxine_.”

Max smiles in response, and walks towards her girlfriends. Neither Chloe nor Rachel look like they paid any attention to that, sipping on their beers while watching the fireworks show. “Hey you two.”

“Having fun?” Rachel asks, smiling.

“Sure,” Max replies. Rachel hands her a beer. Max didn’t care much for beer, but she couldn’t deny free booze, so she takes it and starts drinking it. “I still can’t believe Taylor planned all of this.”

“Seems like the fake bitch is good for something,” Chloe rolls her eyes.

Max doesn’t comment on that. She takes another swig of beer, and watch the fireworks show. Her mind wanders to the many times they spent on this cliff. Her and Chloe used to come up for adventures. When Max left, this was the spot where Rachel met her biological mother Sera. Then this became the pace where all of them would just hang out and watch the sunset, and to also spread Kate’s ashes since Kate didn’t want to be buried. 

Max wonders where the time went. The first minute she’s moving away from Arcadia Bay to move to Seattle, the next minute she’s up here snapping photos of her former classmates at their peak. She thought she would never see most of them again, including Victoria, but this reunion proved them wrong. People were scared to come back because of the deaths going on around Arcadia Bay and neighboring places, including Max, but Chloe convinced her to come. 

While she didn’t agree with the things Chloe and Rachel did, she loved them. She wouldn’t dare to defy them whenever the topic of Victoria possibly killing her former classmates is brought up. She never believed Victoria would be _that_ crazy, but she kept that to herself. Nathan seemed a lot more believable because he hasn’t been to any of the events so far.

However, something tells her that it might not be Nathan, that whoever is killing these people may be closer than she thought.

* * *

After the fireworks show, Victoria stays behind with Taylor and Courtney, cleaning up the mess that no one really offered to clean up. It wasn’t much because Taylor walked around making sure people clean up after themselves but it could only go so far. Courtney pulls them to the beach below, and pulls them towards the water. Victoria laughs, splashing her best friend, while Courtney puts her head under water and starts swimming around. The tide starts to pick up once the wind becomes more thick, making them cool the entire time.

A few minutes later, Victoria gets out of the water, with Taylor and Courtney following her. “And to think, I was scared of water for a while.”

“Because you were scared to ruin your makeup,” Courtney mocks.

Victoria slaps Courtney on the arm. “Shut up bitch. Anyways, that was a great fucking barbecue. I swear I thought Scott was gonna poison my burger with the look she gave me when she passed it to me, but…”

“She wouldn’t have because I was watching her,” Taylor says. 

They walk back to their cars. Courtney waves goodbye while Taylor walks to her car with Victoria. They drive back to the house without another word, and opting to eat ice cream while watching television. They eventually fall asleep until Taylor is the first one to wake up because of her phone going off. Without checking the caller ID, she picks up. “Hello?”

“Hey, Taylor. Uh, it’s me, Officer Jones.” Taylor furrows her eyebrows. Why would Hayden call her at almost five in the morning? “There’s been an accident.”

Taylor rises from her position, causing Victoria to wake up. “What? What happened?”

“What the fuck?” Victoria mumbles, and looks at Taylor. “What’s going on?”

Taylor isn’t ready for the next few words that her friend Hayden utters, but it has to happen: “I don’t know...I don’t know how to say this but...Courtney Wagner is dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t think Max would enjoy the fujifilm instax. She’s too pretentious to catch up with the rest of the world.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: changed the part where they mentioned Courtney and Evan are married already. they are not, sadly.

**May 6th, 2020**

The sun rises in the horizon, revealing the start of the morning. The birds are chirping, the silent ambience of the neighborhood resonates with its inhabitants, only to realize it’s short lived. Hipsterism and gentrification changed the once coastal yet serene city of Arcadia Bay to a hotspot for gluten free vegans and big jars of bee pollen and spirulina, coming up with different ways to invent charcoal activated foods and fusing sushi with ramen. Otherwise, the ambience is a nice little moment for anyone and everyone.

Warren Graham _loved_ the ambience. Always did, always will. Arcadia Bay is his home, even if he doesn’t want to admit it so. He loved everything about Arcadia Bay, even if it has changed since 2014. Back when he went to school, he used to be in love with a girl named Max, even after she rejected him. Once he got the hint, he backs off, even to the point where he hasn't talked to her in years. 

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t check her social media from time to time. Warren found it weird that Max entered a poly relationship, but he couldn’t judge. He once fell in love with Mikey North, but he died before their relationship could go any further.

But, back to Max’s relationship upgrade. Chloe and Rachel. He disliked the _both_ of them. He never liked Chloe, but he grew to dislike Rachel before they graduated. In reality, they were overgrown bullies who were no better than the person they hated, also known as Victoria. 

After Mikey’s death, he moved back from Corvallis to Arcadia Bay and started a career for himself. He became the biology student teacher for Blackwell. He was gonna be the new teacher once Michelle Grant retired. He finally noticed Brooke after his boyfriend died and they have a date later this week.

Warren drinks his coffee slowly, then he goes upstairs to take a shower. When he opens the shower door, the baseball bat swings across his face. He stumbles, shouting, holding his face in agony. Warren suddenly feels a sheet being tied over his mouth, and the assailant repeatedly beats him with the baseball bat. He falls on the floor, his body in agony. The final blow knocks him out finally, and he takes his last breath staring at the greenish eyes staring back at him with intensity.

* * *

**July 6th, 2024**

Victoria cries into her tissue, an equally devastated Taylor holding her as she weeps for their dead best friend. They couldn’t have a proper funeral because the body is back at the autopsy unit, so they have a picture of Courtney and Victoria from two days ago at the barbecue, along with a baby photo of Courtney. A lot of people come to the funeral, including Courtney’s parents and family, the entire precinct, and some civilians, including Joyce Price.

However, no one from the reunion show up. Victoria is grateful for that. She wouldn’t want _anyone_ from Blackwell attending her own funeral anyway.

She didn't like Courtney at first. When Taylor introduced the two, Victoria wasn't impressed but she decided to use the girl for something. Courtney was smart and resourceful so Victoria convinced her to do some of her assignments. Not all, _some_. She could admit that. After Kate's suicide, Courtney was pissed but stuck by Victoria as much as she can when the school ostracized her. That's when Victoria realized that Courtney is more than just a smart kid who follows everyone around. 

They've been best friends ever since.

Victoria regrets not telling Courtney of her pseudonym. She trusted Taylor, but Courtney deserved to know. Courtney can keep a secret _just_ as good as Taylor. Plus, like everyone else, she was a fan. 

Everything becomes a blur until Taylor goes to the diner. She's welcomed with the smell of pancakes and syrup, and it's so warm that Victoria not only removes her hat, she removes her jacket. But it's a comforting warmth that she _always_ received.

“Victoria, how are you?” Joyce Price greets her, with a worried face.

Victoria missed Joyce. She always wanted to come here to see the woman but was slightly scared, since this is the mother of Chloe after all. “I'm...numb.”

“Yeah, that happens,” she replies. “Had two of my husbands die in the span of ten years. All you gotta do is keep living for them.”

“I intend to live for Courtney, definitely.”

Courtney is survived by her fiancé Evan Harris and their five year old daughter Reece. Courtney never made a will so everything of hers goes to the both of them. As for the case, it will be taken over by Courtney’s fellow detective, Hayden Jones and the lead police officer Stephanie Gingrich. Victoria hopes that they find the person responsible for her best friend’s death or she might have to, and probably _kill them herself._

Neither girl felt like eating but neither of them can resist the sweet smell and taste of Joyce’s blueberry lemon pancakes. They eat and sit in silence, ignoring everyone except for the boss lady herself.

That’s when their moment of silence is broken when she hears three familiar voices talking to Joyce. “_Fuck_. Come on, Taylor. Trouble just walked in.”

Victoria leaves a couple twenties for the tip while Taylor dusts her suit down. As they are heading to the exit, they’re stopped by a voice. “Leaving so soon?”

Victoria’s teeth clench. She’s in no mood to deal with Chloe Price, out of all people. “Which part of leave me alone don’t you understand, Price?”

“Victoria, I’m _so_ sorry for your loss,” Max speaks up. 

Victoria doesn’t have time to address that. “Yeah, sorry you lost one of your _so called_ friends,” Chloe taunts.

“Chloe, be nice,” Joyce reprimands, but to no avail.

“Mom, she’s the one who bullied Kate to suicide—“

“She knows who the fuck I am, Price,” Victoria growls. “And Courtney was my best friend for many years. You may not think so but we _both_ lost a friend one way or another.”

“One of them was your fault,” Rachel points out.

Victoria narrows her eyes. “I thought we been over this, Amber. Stay in your place.”

“Victoria, come on, they’re not worth it,” Taylor advises, pulling Victoria away from the two girls. 

Victoria glares at Chloe and Rachel one last time, then she follows Taylor out of the restaurant. She puts her hat back on and huffs, holding back tears. “Fuck...I hate them _so_ much…”

“I know,” Taylor replies.

When they get home, Victoria barely makes it to the bed before crying herself to sleep, the dark sheets combating her ruined mascara.

* * *

If there’s something that gets Rachel to an event, it would be a buffet brunch. She may hate Taylor but she’s impressed by the girl for planning a bunch of events for the graduating class to enjoy. While she couldn’t have most of it due to her diet restricting everything concerning most fats, she _still_ loved brunch. Plus, a croissant is probably what she needs after a messy few days.

After Courtney’s murder, Max wanted to go back home in fear that the Blackwell Killer might reach one of them. Rachel had to console her and convince her to stay at least one more week to see if things would change. It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. 

The brunch was happening at the Blackwell quads, nearby the Kate Marsh Memorial. Since it’s July, school is out of session and the adults don’t have to face any seniors running around here. Samuel is still here though, with gray hair replacing the dark hair on his beard and he’s still talking about squirrels. “Hi, mister Samuel!”

“Rachel,” Samuel greets. “It’s always a pleasure to see old students back at Blackwell to reunite and mingle.”

“It definitely is. So, how has the school been holding up?”

“Samuel notices that the students are_ a lot more_ kinder this time around,” he says. 

“I think the evil left once Chase graduated,” Rachel points out.

“On the contrary. Samuel thinks the evil _stayed_ when Victoria moved out before graduation. Maybe she _wasn’t_ the evil in this school,” Samuel speaks up. He eyes Rachel very carefully, making Rachel slightly uncomfortable. “Miss Victoria has _definitely_ atoned for her mistakes and realizes that she isn’t the only one to blame for the accident.”

“She is to blame because of the video.”

“To each their own, Rachel,” he says. “That was _not_ a nice thing to do, but Samuel watches every student from when they first attended to when they graduate. Victoria has a _lot_ of hidden depths that she keeps hidden, but when she feels like opening up, she eventually will. And it seems like you have some unresolved issues yourself, and you’re not coping with them very well.”

“Hm.” Rachel was already growing annoyed with this. “I’m gonna go talk to my friends. See you around?”

“Always, Miss Amber.” Rachel still feels eyes on her, but she doesn’t turn back around. She heads back to Chloe and Max, sitting by Juliet, Dana, Justin, and Trevor. “Hey guys.”

“Are you gonna get anything, Rach?” Max asks, worried.

_Shit_. She was so caught up on Samuel that she forgot to get food. “Oh, I suppose I can get something huh?” Rachel heads to the buffet table, looking at her options. There are a lot of options that she couldn’t eat, but she picks up a couple of eggs, a croissant, and a bottle of water. She heads back to the table, almost bumping to a rush of blond and black. Knowing exactly who it is, she snarls and glares at the person. “Watch where you’re going, Vic-bore-ia.”

Victoria raises an eyebrow. “How original, Rachel _Yawn_ Amber. Never heard _that_ before.”

“Like you’re original with your little Yawn joke. Is that supposed to be a lame play at my middle name?”

“Lame? Like Vic-bore-ia or Bitchtoria is _any_ better,” Victoria retorts. “If your bitch ass has nothing else to say, you can turn the other flappy cheek of yours and go suck Price’s herpes-covered strap-on.”

“At least I have a girlfriend...no wait, I have _two_ girlfriends. What’s _your_ excuse?”

“I may be single, but if you were nonexistent, I could have both of them,” Victoria smirks. “Then again I wouldn’t want either of them.”

“They wouldn’t want you either.”

Victoria just shrugs and walks away. Rachel sneers, and heads back to her table finally. She sits between Chloe and Max, listening in to a conversation about Rachel’s best performance play, The Tempest.

“I cannot forget the time where Chloe played as Ariel for a few minutes,” Dana says, smirking between the two. “I thought they were gonna smooch right then and there. Rachel went totally off book, while Chloe tried to stick with the script. It was _so_ good.”

“I would pay money to watch that,” Max snorts. “Chloe? In _glitter_? You can’t get her to wear red lipstick!”

“Hey!” Chloe frowns. “I wear red lipstick! And eyeliner! And I do it by myself, thank you very much.”

“My effeminate little butch,” Rachel coos mockingly, putting her hand on Chloe’s tricep. “Next stop is eyeshadow, yeah?”

“No. Definitely not.”

Dana snorts. “You would look weird with a face full of makeup. Leave it to Rachel who wears the most makeup between you three.”

“_Exactly!_” Chloe agrees. “But about the play...I would do it again if I had to.”

“And to think...a certain blond headed _demon_ was gonna play Prospero,” Juliet says. “_Really_ glad she fainted though.”

Rachel scoffs. “Yeah, because I dosed the bitch’s tea to prevent that from happening, and also so you guys wouldn’t have to act side by side with that banshee. You’re fucking welcome.”

“Badass,” Justin says. 

Rachel flips her blond hair over her shoulder. “Of course! God, you should’ve seen Mr. Keaton’s face when everything was over and done with. We were supposed to have an encore performance the next day, but it never happened because of my injury, and Mr. Keaton didn’t want the understudy to play Prospero after my stunning performance. It was probably a good move on his part. _No one_ would have showed up to see that.”

“Maybe her parents would’ve showed up?” Max chimes in.

Rachel sighs. She could never understand why Max is so nice to the person who bullied her ex-girlfriend. “Oh please. Not even Chase’s parents would sit there to watch that train wreck.”

“Wow,” Max blinks.

“Let’s change the subject,” Dana suggests, upon seeing Max’s uncomfortable tone.

“Have you guys been reading Vampho?” Max asks.

“I have _yet_ to catch up,” Dana says. “I try but then Katelyn comes in the room and I gotta hide it because of the graphic sexual and violent scenes. It’s good, but _fuck_.”

“That’s my favorite book right now,” Juliet replies. “The person behind those books is a genius. I did an _entire_ review on all six books for the Arcadia Bay Beacon.”

“The author is pretty hot,” Justin shrugs.

Rachel laughs. “Don’t let Brooke hear you say that.”

“Oh no, she _agrees_,” Justin replies. “Perks of dating a bi woman. We can both talk about girls.”

“Trust me, we know,” Chloe smirks, while Max blushes a deep red. “I read all six books and I’m waiting for the seventh and last one...but she says on her website that the book may take a wait because of writer’s block. She hasn’t updated her website since but I’m waiting.”

“Some people do get writer’s block so I get it,” Trevor speaks up. 

“I get photographer’s block from time to time,” Max defends.

“And journalist’s block is fucking terrible,” Juliet also defends. “Whatever it is, we just gotta wait. I just don’t think I can wait any longer. But at least this Blackwell Killer is taking my mind off it.”

“The person’s recent victim was Courtney,” Dana sighs. “It was sad to see her go. She was also investigating the Blackwell Killer, so maybe the killer found out and exterminated them.”

“Whatever it is, I hope they aren’t using this opportunity to kill a bunch of people coming here for the reunion,” Trevor says.

“I’m telling you guys, it’s Sticky Vicky—“

“_Chloe_,” Dana growls.

“It _can’t_ be that bitch,” Juliet interjects. “It might be for the other victims, but why would she kill her _own_ best friend?”

“Come on, Juliet,” Justin frowns. “We all know Victoria doesn’t give a shit about her friends.”

“I beg to differ,” Trevor objects. “Victoria was a bitch, but she _always_ cared for her friends.”

“_And_, she was at the funeral,” Dana says. “She didn’t seem like she didn’t give a shit about Courtney.”

“Acting,” Chloe says.

“Victoria isn’t _that_ good of an actress,” Dana defends. “Which is why she isn’t the killer. It has to be someone we least expect.”

“Like Nathan,” Justin hypothesizes.

Trevor shakes his head. “He was locked up in a psychiatric facility up until that security guard’s death, and has been inside his house ever since. It _can’t_ be him.”

“Plus we _expect_ Nathan to snap and kill a bunch of people,” Dana replies. “The case would’ve been closed if they find out it’s Nathan doing the crimes.”

“Well, then, who could it be?” Max inquires.

Justin shrugs. “Maybe one of the victims faked their death—“

“You _gotta_ put down the weed,” Max quips, causing everyone else to laugh. “All of the victims’ bodies are with the chief examiner. All of them. No missing bodies whatsoever.”

“I thought it was Jefferson,” Juliet speaks up. “He seemed creepy as fuck…but then he was found dead in a creepy setting. I was right about him being creepy but unfortunately he didn’t kill anyone.”

“Interesting,” Chloe smirks.

“Well, whomever it is,” Rachel says. “They’re killing a bunch of people who have done more harm than good...depending on how you feel about the person. Some of these people were creepy, some of them were liars, maybe even _cheaters who try to kill your birth parent_...but whatever. It’s not like we missed them. Right?”

Some murmurs can be heard. “I kinda miss Warren,” she hears Max mumble.

“I was two doors down from Eliot and he didn’t pose a threat,” Dana mumbles.

“Mikey was kinda cool,” Trevor says under his breath.

“Yeah!” Dana agrees.

“Well, I don’t miss them,” Rachel shrugs. “And none of us should either.”

“_Exactly_,” Chloe agrees.

Max squirms in her seat while Dana, Trevor, and Juliet share the same uncomfortable glance. They all have the same thought: what is wrong with these two?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been kinda hectic. this is also not my favorite chapter. I don’t care for Juliet as a character, so i’m not a fan, but there’s some background. and some ship tease.

** March 21st, 2022 **

Oceanic sounds surround the beach house located far away from Oregon as fauna and beach wildlife make their way around the wind picked up mostly by the Pacific Ocean. The tide laps almost every ten seconds, kissing the sand, getting it wet. The sand is a nice beige color, not completely ruined by trash, unlike a few miles down south. 

If you were to tell Stella when she was younger that she would live in a beach home, she would look at you funny. It’s been her dream for quite a while, but now she gets to live it. After her hard work at Blackwell, she moves out of toxic ass Arcadia Bay for the nice coastal city of Laguna Beach. During her time at Blackwell, things shifted from having a big bitch on top of the social hierarchy to two even bigger bitches, one of them who slept with a drug dealer and a photography teacher.

Her sources for Rachel sleeping with Jefferson wasn't someone like Victoria. She always suspected something about Rachel that wasn't exactly genuine. When she came out as a lesbian, Stella believed her for a second, up until she saw Rachel kissing Mark Jefferson before both of them heading to her dorm. Then the accusation about Frank was speculation until a picture of Rachel slipped from the RV vent when she got her fix of caffeine pills. Since then, Stella hasn't believed a thing that came out of Rachel’s mouth.

The Kate situation made things habitually worse. Stella was one of the people to see that Kate was depressed even before she went to the Vortex Club party, so for the entire school to blame one person was hypocritical. Stella missed Kate very much, but she would never blame one person for a suicide, not even Kate. It's no one's fault. People did contribute but that isn't the same, by a long shot.

When she graduated, she cut all of her ties with almost every Blackwell student except Alyssa and Warren and moved to Laguna Beach. She attended college, graduated, and is now on her way to becoming an art teacher for a school nearby. When Warren died, her only other connection to Arcadia Bay is Alyssa, but even they fell out after a while. Stella had no one other than her parents, who love and support her, and a few friends she met in college and at her job.

When she goes back to her beach house, she takes a deep breath and prepares herself for a shower. She has a date later and she needs to look nice. As she’s seconds away from turning on the water, she feels a harsh smack on the top of her head. She doesn’t lose consciousness until she hits the harsh tile floor of her shower.

* * *

** July 10th, 2024 **

Juliet Watson stares at the engagement ring that used to mean something to her. She divorced Zachary Riggins months back, but they don’t have any bad blood, despite Zachary being the treacherous cheater that he is. 

After graduating Blackwell, she received an internship for the Arcadia Bay Beacon, especially after her _lovely_ exposé on Blackwell’s once glorious Vortex Club. After the Kate situation, Wells ordered all Vortex Club members to shut down and that was that. Juliet wasn’t exactly that apologetic, considering that she read the entire Vortex Club premise for filth and back. She was proud of that, and she still is.

After her internship, she became a part time writer. At first it was the Ask Amy column, but then she started writing chilling articles, like the Blackwell Killer.

Until a few days ago, Juliet believed the person behind it was probably Samuel who finally snapped, or _maybe_ a reincarnation of Kate Marsh...or one of Kate’s siblings. The thought of her former classmate Victoria Chase _never_ crossed her mind, mostly because Juliet had better things and people to worry about. However, she keeps thinking about it, and she couldn’t see Victoria killing people. The Blackwell Killer’s most recent victim was Courtney, and it didn’t make much sense if Victoria went to kill Courtney during the night. She may be an evil bitch, but she doesn’t seem like the killer material. If Victoria killed people, she would be _much_ more organized and people wouldn’t suspect her for many, many years, like the Zodiac Killer.

Taylor reserved an entire roller skating rink for the students. While Juliet hated skating, Dana convinced her to come and she couldn’t resist her best friend’s requests. There has been talk about more alumni coming by Dana herself, and Juliet is kind of glad. The more, the merrier. 

She drives over to the skating rink, that once held a saw mill that burned down 14 years ago in a mysterious fire. When she enters, she smells dirty shoes and cheese fries.

“Jules!” Rachel calls out. 

Juliet walks towards Rachel along with her girlfriends Chloe and Max. She never thought their little negotiation was weird, nor did she believe it was surprising. “Hey everyone.”

Dana is already here, sitting next to Trevor. A bunch of old students are skating on the rink, most of them holding on to someone or the railing to prevent themselves from falling. It was kind of humorous to watch. “I understand why Dana isn’t on the rink, but why not the rest of you?”

Max waves her camera in the air. “Plus I don’t know how to skate.”

“I kind of want to see people fall flat on their faces,” Chloe shrugs.

“That’s...kind of dark,” Dana says, basically speaking for everyone else except for Rachel who’s smirking up at Chloe. Juliet raises an eyebrow. She always knew Chloe can be a Debbie Downer, sometimes slipping out the darkest of sentences but she always thought Chloe would grow out of that. Apparently not, especially with the way she’s been treating Victoria. While Juliet didn’t want to see the blond either, these are planned meticulously by her best friend Taylor Christensen after all, and it’s also a free country. 

“Well, I came here for food as well,” Max says. “Taylor promised free pizza and curly fries.”

“There are a hundred pizza spots nowadays,” Juliet giggles.

“But is it free?”

Juliet shrugs. “Good point.”

“This used to be an abandoned saw mill,” Rachel speaks up. “The saw mill used to hold illegal parties and concerts. One of them was a Firewalk concert where I met this loser.” She nudges Chloe, who looks back with a grin. Juliet resists the urge to look at Max. “Then it burned down with that mysterious fire and was left abandoned until the hipsters found it.”

“Actually, it’s been open since 2015.” Juliet turns her head to see Zachary Riggins, her ex-husband speaking up for everyone. “Also, hello everyone. I couldn’t make it to the last events because of my job but rest assured I’m here for the rest.”

“What’s going on, Riggins?” Rachel smiles. “Take a seat.”

Zach takes a seat right next to Juliet. He turns around and simply smiles. Juliet smiles back. “Hm, I’m missing something,” Max speaks up. “Weren’t you two dating...or married?”

“We got a divorce four months ago,” Juliet announces. 

“For what, cheatin’?” Chloe asks.

Zach nods. “Unfortunately.”

“You nasty motherfucker,” Chloe says, shaking her head.

Zach shrugs. “I did fuck a mother, so I guess that’s right.”

Juliet snorts. “Always the jokester, huh?”

After an hour, Taylor calls everyone in for curly fries and pizza. Everyone around the table eats what they can and talk some more. Everyone respects the No Victoria rule that Dana enforced, which works out for everyone, even Zachary who’s still kind of mad at Victoria for the Kate situation.

It was then when they get one more guest. “What’s up my peeps?”

“Stephanie!” Chloe grins, and gives her friend a hug. “It’s been _way_ too long my dude. What’s going on?”

“Life, and a lot of it. I got invited to this shindig by Taylor, even though I graduated a year before you losers…”

“Don’t rub it in, Gingrich,” Dana frowns.

Steph smirks. “_Jealous_, Yard?”

Dana narrows her eyes. “In your dreams, Gingrich.”

Juliet stares at everyone else, watching as the conversation continues naturally. She stares at Rachel, who appears to be unamused by Steph’s appearance. Whatever happened between the two is making Rachel distance herself, even to the point where Rachel excuses herself. Juliet follows suit a minute later, heading to the bathroom. Rachel is already there, staring at herself in the mirror, and it scares Juliet a bit. “Rachel, everything ok?”

“Yeah, sure,” Rachel says back, her voice reducing to a stutter.

Juliet pouts and furrows her eyebrows. That is so unlike Rachel. “Are you sure? Ever since Steph showed up, you’ve been a little suspect…”

“If I were to tell you something, can you keep it to yourself?”

“Depends, did you kill someone?”

“Gosh no,” Rachel says immediately. 

Juliet scans her face, and she isn’t indicating that she’s lying so she continues. “Ok, tell me.”

“I wasn’t always faithful during my relationship with Chloe, before Maxine came in the picture,” Rachel replies. “I had extramarital affairs with the drug dealer Frank Bowers, and I was also sleeping with Mark Jefferson while he took pictures with me. It’s why I brought up the idea of bringing in someone else in my relationship with Chloe. I never felt _adequate_ tying myself down so...I don’t know. When I slept with them, it felt right.”

Juliet narrows her eyes, scanning Rachel’s face. “So Victoria _was_ right.”

“I—“

“And Steph must have caught you in the act, which is why you two aren’t as cool as you once were.” Juliet puts her hands on her hips, looking around, averting her eyes in Rachel’s direction. She _hated_ cheaters. While she forgave Zachary for what he did, that doesn’t mean she’s ok with his actions. “I don’t know why you decided to tell me this, but you know it was wrong for you to cheat on your girlfriend, right?”

Rachel nods. “I just...when I saw Steph again, I remembered that conversation we had and it looked like she was mad at me again. I had to leave for a few minutes.”

“I don’t blame her for being mad,” Juliet reasons. “Hell, _I’m_ mad at you. I just divorced the love of my life for cheating, and I’m still very affected by it, so hearing that you cheated is _not_ savory in the slightest. Whether you decide to tell Chloe or not is your decision but you probably should before Steph tells her.”

Without another word, Juliet leaves the bathroom and heads back to the group. However, an argument already broke out, and for the first time ever, Victoria is not involved. “You’re not gonna accuse my girlfriend for fourteen years of cheating,” Chloe hisses, her eyes icy with fury. “Take your accusation and shove it up your ass, Gingrich.”

“I wouldn’t be standing here if I was lying to you—“

“You need to leave.” Rachel already left the bathroom and is addressing Steph. Juliet turns around, furrowing her eyebrows. “Now.”

Steph makes a sound in the back of her throat when she sees Rachel. “It doesn’t even surprise me that you _never_ told Chloe of your extramarital affairs, and now you’ve added Max into the mix…”

Juliet casts a look at Max, who has a confused look on her face. “I didn’t do _anything_,” Rachel lies. “Now get the fuck out of here before Chloe and I throw you out.”

Steph huffs, takes one last glare at Chloe and Rachel, and stomps away. Juliet doesn’t follow where she goes and then looks at Chloe. She puts her hands over her face, and Rachel sits next to her, consoling her. Max, feeling a little left out, goes on the other side to console Chloe.

Juliet didn’t expect any of this to happen, but she surely is _never_ gonna forget it.

* * *

Steph doesn’t go far without someone chasing after her. “Stephanie! _Wait!_”

She stops herself and turns around. She thought she would never see Victoria again, especially after finding out that Victoria was behind the Kate video. Steph regretted ending her friendship with Victoria (especially after having a crush on her), but she hated that the video caused a bunch of problems, and the girl didn’t seem to care much for it at the time. “What do you want, Victoria?”

“What the fuck happened back there?” Victoria inquires.

“Wouldn’t _you_ like to know.”

Victoria narrows her eyes. Steph is now noticing how different Victoria looks, but that glare will always stay the same. Good. “Yeah, that’s why I came to you? And this is my best friend’s event you decided to crash. You graduated a year before all of us!”

Steph sighs deeply. “Yeah, well, Taylor invited me. I figured it would be a good opportunity to tell Chloe about one of her her girlfriends’ cheating and lying ass, assuming Amber kept her mouth shut. Guess how that went.”

“You _knew?_”

“I _always_ knew! Possibly even before you did! I always fucking knew of Rachel’s lying and cheating. I caught her kissing Jefferson and confronted her about it. She argued with me and threatened me. I took that with a grain of salt, waiting for the _perfect_ opportunity to tell Chloe, but it never came.”

“I knew Amber was a reckless hoe,” Victoria mutters.

“Always has and always will be,” Steph agrees.

Victoria scratches her nape. Steph stares at her, amazed at how much and how little Victoria has changed. She’s wearing nothing but black (aside from the nude colored flats on her feet) and her hair’s longer with a black fedora hat on...and she loves black lipstick. She looks a lot more mysterious. “I thought you were cool with them...hell, you kicked me to the curve when you found out I was behind katesvid dot com. What happened?”

“I have tension with Rachel, after finding out about her and Jefferson...but I cared about Chloe. She’s the only friend I have, especially since Mikey died. I don’t have a lot of friends other than Hayden. Drew’s still really depressed about his little brother dying, and is in a psychiatric ward for almost killing himself recently with opiates. My girlfriend of three years dumped me a couple months back..._fuck_, it’s been rough since we graduated. And that fucking Blackwell Killer. Whoever they are, they’re killing faculty, classmates, friends...family. And Courtney...I’m _so_ sorry about Courtney…”

“It’s ok. I’m taking it one day at a time.” Victoria resists the urge to cry as well. “Damn it, Stephanie. I don’t need to ruin my makeup...again…”

Steph chortles. “At least _that_ didn’t change, other than your glare.”

“Do you want to come back inside? I don’t think staying out by yourself is such a good idea. This killer gets people when they're by themselves.”

“You’re right, but I don’t wanna see Amber again. That fucking lying bitch...I can’t believe I had a crush on her.”

“We live and we learn. See you around?”

Steph nods. She turns around to head to her car, to head far away from the skating rink. She definitely needs to get away from Arcadia Bay, but first, she’s _definitely_ gonna solve that case along with what’s rest of her team. For Mikey, Stella, Warren, and Courtney.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it’s been a wild ride lately. with the coronavirus outbreak I’ve been very, very, very uninspired aside from another fic that i’m working on, and due to my essential work, I simply don’t have time to strike gold with my inspiration either. 
> 
> I don’t really like this chapter but it’s kinda important? maybe?
> 
> also don’t thank me for my service. i don’t think getting yelled at by customers all day while trying to not get sick and infect my immunocompromised family is essential in any ways possible.

**July 22nd, 2018**

Blackwell Academy’s been closed since the last day of school. The cleaning crew already came a few weeks back and purged the rooms of any and all things that students left back, and the caretaker is taking care of the upkeep of the Blackwell quads. Last week was the class of 2008 reunion and they made a huge mess. 

However, it’s not that David cared much. 

After Kate’s suicide, David received flashback after flashback, dream after dream. His step daughter Chloe did not make matters any better. She constantly made it a thing to blame David for having the door open so that Kate can fall into temptation, and also because he was such a hardass trying to find out the drug handling of Blackwell. As if their relationship couldn’t get any worse.

When David started therapy around Chloe’s 20th birthday, Joyce was his cheerleader. He’s so thankful to find someone so caring in his life, especially to a beautiful woman who stopped at nothing to care for others, including her ungrateful and constantly bitter daughter. When Chloe moved to LA, David’s progress got better and better...until it got worse. He went back to his paranoid ways, enough to smack the love of his life in the face during an argument. She has forgiven him since then, but the trust is low.

He hates himself for letting things get worse. He let the animosity between him and Chloe get worse. He let Kate jump off that roof. He let himself get worse and batter his wife. He let Chloe run off with that degenerate Rachel instead of just thinking rationally with the kind student Max Caulfield. He let his mental illness get the best of him.

Time after time, he thought of leaving Joyce, so that she wouldn’t face another instance of domestic violence. However, he loves Joyce way too much. He couldn’t leave her. They can work through this.

After clocking out for the day, he heads to the security room to grab his things. Only he never gets the chance to leave. He feels a sharp stab on his back, and it shocks him. He doesn’t get the chance to see his assailant, but he does see blue. He sees a blue haze, blurring out, blinded by a white light.

* * *

** July 11th, 2024 **

“_Chloe_!” Rachel screams, clenching her fingers through Chloe’s hair as she comes undone. She twitches, letting out a long, deep moan, feeling Chloe thrust inside her, her thrusts growing slower. Her breathing labors, whimpering, the room growing cooler as the air conditioner runs, hitting both women. Chloe pulls out of Rachel, causing her to moan again. “That was _so_ good.”

Chloe smiles, kissing Rachel’s sweaty brow. “It better be. Now let’s get dressed before Max comes back.”

Rachel immediately gets up and starts getting dressed, on the off-chance Max comes back and finds them naked in bed together. The last time Max walked in on them, she wasn’t very pleased. They agreed on three ways only, and they can only kiss if everyone’s kissing each other just because Max often felt left out. However, Chloe hated that rule and so did Rachel, so they usually opt for a quickie when Max is out. Usually they would just do oral but Rachel was in the mood for some real action.

Chloe puts her clothes on and Rachel sprays some air freshener. Chloe strips the bed down to the fitted sheet, and covers it with the white hotel-mandated comforter. Chloe stuffs the sheet under the bed. “Well, It doesn’t look like we did anything, right?”

“You should probably fix your hair,” Rachel suggests. Her grabbing does get excessive. She grabs a brush and tosses it to Chloe, while she fixes her hair. Rachel had a moment of guilt when she saw Steph once again after 11 years. She confessed everything to Juliet, who looks at her differently and tells her to tell Chloe. Only she did, a while ago. Chloe wasn’t happy. Rachel hasn’t told anyone else but Chloe and Juliet. Steph already knew and their friendship is nonexistent because of it.

Minutes later, Max walks in. “I come with stuff!”

“Ooh, what kind of stuff?” Chloe asks, already peering in the bags.

“For fuck’s sake Chloe, at least let me place the bags on the table before you dig in,” Max groans. Chloe kisses Max on her forehead and starts digging, only to find takeout boxes from another food place. “It’s a new Chinese place I wanted to check out.” Chloe opens the box and finds some sweet smelling chicken. 

“Is this Panda Express?”

“No,” Max answers. Rachel peers into the bag, finding an entree of hot and spicy shrimp with steamed vegetables. “Oh, that’s for you. I told them not to put extra flavor—I mean _fat_ in it, cause your diet sucks.”

“It doesn’t suck!” Rachel defends.

“It sucks if you can’t eat pizza,” Max argues back, with a smirk. “Oh, and the kung pao chicken is mine, Price.”

Chloe passes the tray to Max, and takes the other. They start eating, but not without Max noticing how slightly sweaty and flushed Chloe and Rachel look. She probably has an idea on what they were doing.

Max often feels left out in the relationship. Chloe and Rachel dated for three years before Max showed up again. Max knew Chloe from when they were kids but Rachel replaced Max when Max moved to Seattle. It’s not like Max had a choice; she was thirteen and she had no say in the matter. However, she did have a choice to go to Arcadia Bay for the summer. She never did. After making some friends, Max felt right at home in Seattle, quicker than she expected. 

Kristen and Fernando were amazing listeners, even after she moved back to Arcadia Bay and then moved to LA after graduation. She never stopped talking to them, even after Kate’s death. She has yet to call them since being back at the Bay, but she did get texts from them, wishing her a happy July Fourth. Fernando’s was funny, calling the Fourth of July a day where Americans celebrate owning slaves and kicking other foreigners out, which is true in hindsight.

She does know that her rule was never effective from the start. She just wanted to keep things equal. She loved Chloe and Rachel, and they loved each other and Max back...but it seems like they do more together than doing things concerning the three of them. Sex is definitely something they do together instead of the three of them, which makes Max feel sad but she doesn’t care as much as she did before. When all three of them have sex, Max often is in the middle of two people who love to enforce top/bottom dynamics. It was either Chloe on top or Rachel on top. Maybe Max should try something where she’s on top instead, but it looks like they are both spent from their strenuous exercise. 

It’s not to say Max doesn’t enjoy having sex with her girls. She definitely does. She just wants more _variety_.

Tomorrow, everyone is going to neighboring Portland to go clean up a park. Ever since Chloe’s truck died, they haven’t had rides except for a rental car that Chloe got hours before the welcoming feast. It was a truck of course, and it’s newer than the truck Chloe had for fourteen years. Max always wondered how she fix up the truck for it to run as long as it did but whatever sorcery happened, it happened. 

Max wonders how Taylor and Principal Greene were able to plan all of these events with a bunch of students who kind of hate each other. Max doesn’t hate anyone but everyone hates Victoria and Rachel surely has tension with Steph, who graduated a year before them. She questioned why that someone, that everyone still hates to this day, would come to these events. She wanted to talk to Victoria for so long, but Max figures Victoria has a right to dislike her. She already figured out why she bullied Kate - she’s very insecure and has zero confidence, which shocked Max when she found out because Victoria is very domineering and always gets what she wants - and Max basically talked to her, told her to be a better person, and stay away from Chloe and Rachel for the time being, because they were especially bitter. She sure did, and she looks better.

“What’s on your mind, Maxipad?” Chloe asks, finishing her plate of roast pork chow mein.

“Uh…” she wouldn't ever speak about Victoria to any of her girlfriends without it blowing up in her face, so maybe she should go with the other thing she was thinking about. “I know you two have been having sex behind my back.”

Rachel drops her fork and stares at Chloe, with a look Max couldn’t read. “What makes you think that, Max?”

“You’re sweaty, your hair is still messed up, and Chloe’s shirt is on backwards,” Max says, gesturing to all of the telltale signs. “Also, the room smells like clean linens.”

“Max,” Chloe starts off.

“No, Chloe. It’s ok. I knew you two would hate the idea of only having sex when I’m around. That’s why I didn’t say anything. It’s fine. I wished you two would talk to me, saying you didn’t like it, so I wouldn’t have felt betrayed by your lying and sneaking around.”

“But we’re not cheating, right?”

“No of course not. I just...I guess I just want to know if you guys are doing it so I can either join in or let you two have your own fun. And...I don’t know, let me take charge once in a while?”

Chloe raises an eyebrow, staring at Max with an astonished look. “Max, if you wanted to—“

“You two didn’t tell me about your covert affairs so, I figured…”

“Max, _of course_ we would listen to you,” Rachel assures. “We listened when you brought up that idea, even if we hated it. Come on, don’t sell us short. We love you and you’re just as important to the relationship as me and Chloe.”

“I love you guys too,” Max smiles. “Now, let me know that you two will communicate with me more often and we can seal the deal.”

“We will let you know from now on. Now, how are we gonna seal the deal?”

Max only grins mischievously, and nods towards the bedroom. Max suddenly feels both of her hands grabbed by Chloe and Rachel, and she giggles as soon as the door closes.

* * *

** July 12, 2024 **

“Justin, have you seen my college sweatpants?” Brooke digs through her clean clothes for her sweatpants so that she can go to the park wearing comfortable clothes instead of jeans or jeggings.

“Just wear a pair of leggings,” Justin replies.

Brooke gives him a dirty look. “Leggings are _not_ pants, Williams. Get with the program.” She keeps digging until she strucks gold. She pulls them out and puts them on. “Finally.”

After high school, Brooke was set to go to MIT until they rejected her. She settled for OSU, attending school with only a small amount of her classmates. She always knew Justin, but she didn’t care for him as much because he was a stoner who only went to school to cut class and smoke weed with Trevor, Chloe, and Rachel. He sobered up during his last months of high school but Brooke had her heart set on Warren, still. She was gonna get her chance but he died inside of his home so she spent a while grieving with no one by her side.

Until Justin came along.

After that moment of comfort, she had a one night stand with him. It was her biggest mistake at the time and had a pregnancy scare until she got her period. She avoided Justin until her last year when she couldn’t anymore because they were partners for a project. They got closer and now they’re in a relationship. Brooke isn’t looking for any next step, but if she could marry Justin, she would.

“Are you ready—is _that_ what you’re wearing?” Brooke deadpans, gesturing to his outfit - a pair of jeans and a shirt, both covered with paint.

“You think I care about getting these dirty? They’ve been covered in paint since the beginning of time.”

Brooke rolls her eyes. “We’re gonna be in the sweltering heat all day.”

“Yet you’re wearing sweatpants,” Justin argues back. “Come on, Brooke. I’ll be ok. Let’s just go so we can come back and be lazy again.”

Brooke snorts a little. “Fine. Whatever. I simply can’t fathom why Taylor organized a day where we pick up garbage. This is a reunion, not a charity event.”

“I can’t think of anything more fun than cleaning a park,” Justin says sarcastically. 

Justin drives all the way there in silence. Arcadia Bay to Portland is about a two hour drive, depending on traffic, but they get there in one piece. Brooke never liked Chloe nor Rachel, so she goes to Alyssa while Justin goes to hang out with them along with Dana, Juliet, and Trevor. “Alyssa, what’s going on?”

Alyssa tips her farmer hat, with a grin. “Good. You?”

Brooke shrugs, taking a garbage bag and a stick from the collection of cleaning tools. “Kinda not ready for this event but it’s somehow unavoidable. Taylor did her thing planning these events.”

“Yeah she did. Just wished we had someone else managing the guest list.” Brooke and Alyssa turn their gaze to Taylor and Victoria, who still manages to wear black in sweltering July heat.

“I don’t know. I don’t like her just as much as you do, but she hasn’t been a threat to any of us. In fact, if you don’t cross her, she’ll back off. A step up in the right direction, in my opinion.”

Alyssa frowns. “Yeah but...would it be bad to say I don’t want to see her face?”

“Well, to be honest, you can’t see her face under all that hat,” Brooke jokes.

Alyssa chuckles. “Ok, you have a point.” She picks up a couple pieces of trash. “I just wish Stella was here. When I heard of the accident, I couldn’t stop crying. She was my best friend.”

“Yeah,” Brooke deeply frowns. She cried too when she heard about Warren. “The only death I agreed with was probably Mikey’s. He always glares at me.”

“Maybe because you glared at him every time he hung out with Warren,” Alyssa says back.

“Shut up.” They continue to clean the park in silence. Brooke notices that aside from the principal, Taylor, and Victoria, they are the only ones cleaning while the rest of the students are sitting down, either watching them or drinking a beer that they snuck in here. Brooke growls a little. She could understand Dana, but everyone else? “We’re the only ones cleaning at this point.”

“That’s fine. We can live with that. Plus, we’re almost done. There’s a few more pieces of trash around here.”

Brooke glances at Justin and his group. Dana’s the only one sitting on a chair, while everyone else sits on a beach towel. Chloe is against Rachel and she’s against Max. Rachel is playing with Chloe’s hair and Max is reading the critically acclaimed vampire book. Brooke liked the series, but she’s read better, in her opinion. Plus the author always seemed lost when answering the questions. Trevor is massaging Dana’s feet and Justin is laughing at something Trevor said.

Something about both Chloe and Rachel she couldn’t put her finger on, but she couldn’t fall for. They’ve _always_ been a little mean, but with the way they carry themselves now, it seems to have doubled. Whatever happened between them and Steph had people talking, and the confrontation with Victoria during the welcoming feast was totally uncalled for. It seems like _every_ conflict starts with them.

“Why are you sitting on the ground doing nothing?” Brooke hears Taylor confront the exact group that she saw earlier. 

“Because this is boring,” Chloe retorts. “You can go back to being a community service worker and leave us alone.”

“Chloe,” Max frowns.

“It’s true,” Rachel shrugs.

“I can’t do any of this,” Dana says matter of factly, gesturing towards the park.

Taylor sneers at Dana. “You also can’t sit in the sweltering heat either. You’re pregnant, Dana.”

“Does it matter? Everyone else cleaned your precious park,” Rachel waves off. “Now please, for the love of god, let us be.”

“If you weren’t going to do anything, you could’ve stayed your asses at the hotel,” Taylor challenges. “But whatever. I’ll leave you alone.” With that she stomps away, and he’s back to her friend.

When they finish, Taylor brings out some picnic items. She was still a little pissed off, so the principal carries on with the event. There’s no conflict, just people eating and talking amongst each other. 

Rachel picks the insides of her sandwich and eats it, leaving out the bread for Max and Chloe to eat. Victoria stays quiet, much to everyone’s delight. Everyone cleans up on Taylor’s insistence, and goes back home.

When Brooke comes home, she has a message waiting for her. While taking off her clothes, she turns it on. A robotic voice comes in: “You have one new message. Friday, 5:32 pm.”

Then another voice comes in: “This message is for Brooke Scott. Hello, Officer Stephanie Gingrich speaking. I am calling you to tell you that you’re due for questioning this week. We are looking into the matters of the deaths of several Blackwell alumni and former faculty and you are connected to some of the victims. It is very urgent, so please call the precinct back when you get this message. Good night.”


	8. Chapter 8

Hayden Jones drums his fingers on the table, waiting on an answer from the next person that may have been involved with the murders of several Blackwell faculty and alumni. Courtney did this with a couple people and got some airtight alibis, however she died tragically so the need of everyone’s alibis on the deaths of these people were needed.

That meant _everyone_, including those who left the state. 

Hayden isn’t thrilled to see most of his classmates. He only had connections to a few of them, but after graduation, he cut ties with most of them. He wanted to become an actor, but he realized he needed to stop chasing dumb dreams and settled down with another career choice that he thoroughly enjoyed: law enforcement. 

He studied hard to become the detective he is today. Along with Steph and Courtney, they were merely untouchable. However, Courtney’s death proved otherwise.

“Miss Davis,” Steph stresses, staring at Kelly in the eye. “We need your alibi to clear your name. Where were you on February 23rd, 2023 between the hours of nine and eleven PM?”

Retired district attorney James Amber was murdered in his home and to date, it is the one that gets the gears going since James was a respectable resident of Arcadia Bay. When Hayden, Steph and Courtney investigated the home, it was a crime scene, leaving only a trail of blood and James’ body that bled out the entire night and the days following because no one noticed and Nathan’s mother reported a foul smelling odor on March 2nd. “I was at the Arcadia. Me and my friend Carol-Ann were working at the club that night and we didn’t get to leave until midnight. I dropped her off in front of her apartment and I went home. I’m telling you, I don’t even _know_ where the Ambers live.”

Hayden would have to look into that. “And you two were done working for the night.”

“Affirmative,” Kelly nods. “I wouldn’t be lying to any of you. Honestly.”

When Steph dismissed Kelly, both of them leave the interrogation office, with no leads, no news, nothing. They interviewed several people today and they have nothing because everyone has airtight alibis. Tomorrow, Hayden and Steph are gonna interview a few more people, but at this point, Hayden believes they won’t _ever_ find the killer. “Back to the drawing board.”

“So far, we’ve received Kelly’s, Brooke’s, Juliet’s, Dana’s and Trevor’s. Everyone has a perfect alibi and their records are spot clean...aside from Kelly from when she was a prostitute, but that’s besides the point,” Steph explains. “Tomorrow we’re gonna get Max, Chloe, Rachel, Taylor, and Victoria. We’re trying to get Nathan too but I think someone has to convince him to come because of his agoraphobia.”

“You managed to find Victoria?” Hayden asks, bewildered. To his knowledge, Victoria moved away from Arcadia Bay, never to be seen again.

“She’s in town for the reunion,” Steph replies.

Hayden furrows his eyebrows. Victoria hated everyone from school except for Taylor and Courtney. “Taylor must’ve convinced her lots, huh?”

“I guess so,” Steph says back. “I doubt the suspect is Victoria but...it’s precautionary. We gotta question everyone who graduated from 2013 to 2015, and that also means facing that compulsive liar Rachel Amber.”

Hayden and Rachel were cool for the most part. He may not agree with the things she’s done but don’t all friends have disagreements? “You’ll be fine. Just question her first and move on to the others.”

Steph pinches her nose. Hayden can see the frustration on her face, now that their main detective on this case is slain and she was doing one helluva good job at questioning people. “Sadly, every time I see her, I just want to punch her in the face.”

“You want me to bring in another person for questioning?”

“No, _definitely_ not,” Steph replies. “I will not let Rachel Amber force me to give up on this case. We have gone too far in this to make it a cold case. I need that killer to be scared so they don’t end up killing more people.”

“Since when has a serial murderer been scared of getting caught?”

Steph raises an eyebrow with an amused smirk. “Wishful thinking. This serial killer seems to be very smart too. They don’t leave any footprints or fingerprints anywhere...no traces of DNA, nothing. Yet, they manage to have the victims’ eyes cut off and let them bleed out with their backs on the floor so by the time rigor mortis kicks in, they’ll be stiff.”

Hayden eyes the pictures of all his victims. He ignores Courtney and looks specifically at Stella, Warren and Mikey. “Has anything been reported stolen from the homes?”

“Probably not. If so, they would be small things like a piece of jewelry or clothing. Some people cut pieces of hair off, but I doubt our serial killer is _that_ creepy.” Steph leans back on the table, looking at the drawing board. “I thought it was Jefferson doing all the murders, you know. He seemed creepy...plus there was a former student who claimed that he drugged and raped her in an underground bunker in a barn. The only barn in existence around Arcadia Bay was the one owned by the Prescotts, so you know we went down there. Found the bunker and there were a lot of gruesome pictures.” Steph then points her pen towards a portrait of Mark Jefferson. “There was also Mark Jefferson, on his back, bleeding out, and his eyes cut off. He was killed before we could even _make_ an arrest.”

Hayden frowns looking at the picture of Jefferson’s corpse. “So he _was_ a creep…”

“Huge creep,” Steph grimaces.

“I thought it was that drug dealer...Bowers,” Hayden says, tapping on Frank’s picture. “He never liked Blackwell to my understanding. Got expelled and arrested on drug charges, then became the drug dealer we know today...but he was killed the same way in his RV. Everyone thinks it’s Nathan, but Nathan has an airtight alibi during the time David Madsen was killed. His mother and butler basically confirmed that he doesn’t go out. He became a recluse after being released. Plus, he didn’t give a flying fuck about his classmates enough to kill them. Still, we _have_ to question him. Don’t know why. We both know Nathan wouldn’t have killed a person, no matter how mentally ill he is.”

“Yeah,” Steph replies. “It’s kind of a shame that he locks himself inside his house for many years.”

“Maybe he’s paranoid about this Blackwell Killer mess. I would be too, but I took an oath to find each and every killer of any case I take on. The universe hasn’t failed me yet, and I hope she doesn’t.”

Steph smiles and pats Hayden on the shoulder. “Same.”

Hayden smiles. “How’s Drew looking?”

Steph grimaces. “His dad says he’s still not right. His brother’s death really killed him, man. That’s why I'm passionate about finding this killer. It’s way more than personal.”

Hayden throws an arm around Steph. “We’re gonna find that asshole. Trust me.”

* * *

Most of the students were too bummed out by the questioning to bother with the next event, so Taylor cancels it. She decides to do an impromptu spa day for her and Victoria, who looks stressed after discussing with her lawyers and publishing company that she may not come home by the end of the month because of the case. It was a huge mess, so Taylor supplies herself and her best friend a nice summer package, which means massages, facials, hair and nail care, and of course, a mud bath.

Victoria barely keeps her eyes open on the way there, after getting no sleep after the voicemail Taylor received, about the case and questioning several people and their possible involvement because since the beginning, people have believed the person killing all those people was a Blackwell student.

That meant questioning everyone, including Victoria who hasn’t seen Arcadia Bay since 2014, but her questioning isn’t until tomorrow. That also means gathering any and _all_ information on what she did those days. Taylor believes she had her own alibis in check, because she was either in college, out of state, or at work.

Taylor relaxes on the massage bed, Victoria right next to her. “How did you even get this in advance?”

“This place has a teachers’ discount and it works for the person and their friends and family,” Taylor replies. “Plus, they’re not too busy today. People are too chickenshit to leave their homes because of the killer.”

“_Fuck_,” Victoria whispers. “I hope Steph finds that killer and makes them pay for every death. Avenge for everyone who didn’t deserve to die...like Courtney.”

“And Warren.”

“And Mikey.”

“And Stella.” Taylor sheds a tear, but she couldn’t wipe it away. “David too, no matter how much we hated him back at school.”

“I know. It pains me that I was too scared to come back to Arcadia Bay to console Joyce. She was like a mom to me.”

“I think she understood. She did have a daughter who hated Arcadia Bay just as much as you did, if not more.”

Victoria growls. “The difference between me and that _Smurf_ is that despite my shitty attitude in the past, I moved out of this place and became a better person. That fucking troll is _still_ a bully. She didn’t go to the funeral. I understand, because she definitely wasn’t the only one who hated Madsen, but I would still go just to support her mom. Hell, I’d attend her own funeral because of her mother. But...goddamnit. I loathe a person who thinks they’re too good to appreciate their last living family members, unless they’re abusive.”

“Well, we never knew what their relationship was, so maybe David was abusive to her and Joyce.”

Victoria didn’t feel like having a conversation about Chloe and her damn life. She hates that bitch, and that hasn’t faltered in the last few weeks here. “Let’s change the subject. Have you been able to move on after Ward dumped you for being my friend?”

Taylor shakes her head no. “_Nobody_ in this town is interesting in the slightest.”

“Nobody? Did you _suddenly_ drop the lesbian label?” Victoria smirks, wagging her eyebrows.

“Ew, I’m still a dyke, dyke,” Taylor retorts. “But...god. Arcadia Bay is full of pretentious hipsters, and I thought Max Caulfield was bad. She’s _nothing_ compared to these gluten free, cruelty free. plant based goat yoga brats who say chai tea instead of just _chai_ and get mad when they hear Selena Gomez or Billie Eilish.”

Victoria couldn’t stop laughing. “So it's that bad?”

“I would do _anything_ to get away from those pricks. Some of them were my students when I was a student teacher!” Taylor huffs, feeling slightly better after her small rant. “So what about you? Unless you’re truly a recluse due to your job, I assume you’re living your best life.”

“Actually, I haven’t been able to get another girlfriend after Mandy and I broke up. And I’m not a big club person, especially after the bullshit that was the Vortex Club. I quit smoking, although I still smoke weed because it helps with my anxiety and sometimes it brings ideas...but no more than a joint a week. I’ve limited my drug intake unless it’s paroxetine, and I don’t have more than one wine bottle a month. It’s laughable, because seventeen year old Victoria would’ve gagged at the thought of older Victoria not smoking at least a pack a day, but I can walk up a flight of stairs, and I got that habit from my parents so getting away from them helped me, even though I love them dearly and I am thankful that they at least tried with me.”

“Speaking of your parents, do you still talk to them?”

“At least once a week because we’re both busy but not recently. They don’t even know I’m back at Arcadia Bay, and they know more than anyone else that I hate Arcadia Bay.”

They get up after the massage and get ready for their mud bath. It’s mixed with red clay, and while it gets everywhere, it's relaxing and it makes the skin soft. Taylor loves them, and Victoria does too. Both of them wrap their hair in a high bun and put shower caps on, and sink in the tub, while they get covered in mud. Taylor continues the conversation from earlier. “Why didn’t you tell them?”

“My parents hate Arcadia Bay too. They didn’t want to send me to Blackwell in the first place, claiming that they can find a better photography school in Seattle. Kinda glad they didn’t send me there, because I would’ve noticed my lack of photography skill way quicker...also I wouldn't have met you or Courtney.”

“I know...things would’ve been real different. Would there even be a mean girl to stir shit up?”

Victoria smirks. “No one can do ‘mean bitch’ better than me.”

For the rest of the time there, they enjoy facials and mani-pedis, then they head back to Arcadia Bay to get a late lunch at their favorite place, the Two Whales Diner. Sure, they can run into two people they don’t want to see, but who cares. They want food and this is the _only_ surviving food place from pre-gentrified Arcadia Bay that people love to go to.

After getting a seat from a waitress, they sit down. Victoria admires her black chrome nails. “It’s so weird how much you love black.”

“Like I said, I’m going through a goth phase. Black is the new black. But, I still wear my designer labels like Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Versace…”

“I know that much,” Taylor laughs.

“There are some original customers I like to see,” Joyce greets. “How are you two?”

“A little better than the last time we came here,” Victoria answers. “And how are you, Miss Joyce?”

“Good,” she answers back. “Also, I’m sorry for Chloe’s behavior the last time. She’s just…”

“_Passionate_, I know,” Victoria says, not believing it for a second. Annoying and juvenile, is more like it. “We were never friends in school, so why start now?”

“It's been ten years and you’ve learned your lesson from the actions you’ve done in the past.”

“Yeah but I’m not here to gain everyone’s trust. I’m here for my friends…or my friend, now. We’re supporting each other because we only have each other. My parents are in Seattle living their best life in early retirement while one of my cousins own the Chase Space, and Taylor’s mom is dead...and recently Courtney died so…”

“What about Nathan?” Joyce inquires, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Hardly _ever_ leaves his home nowadays,” Victoria sighs. “I have to go visit him before I leave, granted this Blackwell Killer doesn’t get to him first...anyway, thank you but I don’t want you to _ever_ apologize for your daughter’s behavior. You only tried with her.”

“I know, but I am still responsible for my daughter, just like your parents are still responsible for you,” Joyce remarks, putting a comforting hand on Victoria’s shoulder. “Now, what can I get you girls, unless you want the us’.”

“The us’ sounds good right about now,” Taylor responds, smiling.

“Good. You two are lucky my memory hasn’t started wading.”

Victoria frowns. “You don’t even look a day over forty. Stop it.”

“Flattery won’t get you a free meal, Chase,” Joyce deadpans, winks, and walks away, leaving both Victoria and Taylor giggling.

After a nice, half priced meal, Taylor decides they should spend the rest of the day out so they go to a small improvisation show a couple blocks away from the diner. Yes, Taylor hated gentrified Arcadia Bay, but it has its perks. They sit in the far back and start laughing at the small interactive games they would play. Victoria is transported back to 2010 when they play alphabet improv, which is a type of game that was introduced in a television show but Mr. Keaton played it often because the other students loved it. 

The sun is completely gone once they reach outside. “Shit, I forgot my keys inside.”

“Really, Christensen? We didn’t have more than a shot of tequila.”

Taylor rolls her eyes. “Wait here, bitch.”

“With a serial killer on the loose?”

Taylor frowns. “Ok. Then, join me.”

“Uh uh. There was a guy staring at me all night and I know he’s still in there.”

“You’re so complicated,” Taylor shakes her head. “Walk to the car to appear busy. I’ll probably won’t be far behind you if it’s still at our table.”

Victoria snorts, and starts walking towards the car, which was still located in the Two Whales parking lot. Now that Arcadia Bay is gentrified, there’s no side parking available thanks to bike lanes so they had to leave their car by the restaurant.

Victoria speeds her walking a little, feeling a slight chill. She passes through an alley, but halfway there, she hears something. With heightened anxiety, Victoria walks faster and breaks out in a sprint seconds later. She hears footsteps gaining on her, but she doesn’t stop, until her shoe gets stuck on a branch and she trips, with her left arm breaking the fall. There is a dark figure looming over her, and a baseball bat raising up in the air threatening to crash down on her, but she rolls over, missing the second blow by an inch.

“Get away from me!” Victoria demands. It’s then she sees two people instead of one. The other person has a sharp blade and a bracelet on their right wrist. She knits her eyebrows but not for long as the bat comes swinging and it hits her in the face. She falls against the asphalt, believing this must be it. This is exactly how everyone else died. They were beaten until unconscious and bloody, and then stabbed with that blade.

“Get away from her!” Taylor roars, holding a black handgun. “_Now_!”

The two figures back away while Taylor inches on them. Taylor wants to call the police but they would get away either way and she wants to save her best friend from imminent doom. She’ll _definitely_ report this to the police when she gets the chance. 

The two figures run away, then Taylor pockets her handgun and rushes over to her friend. “Victoria!” She checks the injuries, noticing Victoria’s left arm is sprained and she has bruises on her face...and she may have a concussion. “Fuck...I gotta get you to a hospital!”

“I thought I was gonna die,” Victoria sobs, getting tears all over Taylor’s shirt.

“No, not on my watch. Not today. Not before me.” Taylor soothes Victoria, picks her up, and carries her to the car. “I just lost Courtney. I definitely can’t lose you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: I hate cops  
also me: makes certain characters cops/detectives
> 
> also i have nothing against goat yoga, being cruelty free, gluten free diets, or plant based diets. however I do have a problem with music snobs. :)


	9. Chapter 9

** April 30th, 2021 **

Sunrise hits Arcadia Bay. On the very top of the town holds a junkyard. American Rust. Once an old hangout for two residents who moved away back in 2014, now holds even more garbage to remember the glory days of pre-hipster Arcadia Bay and a recreational vehicle.

P.O. Courtney Wagner patrols the area, responding to a report of a suspicious looking vehicle at the old junkyard. She eyes it quickly, then follows the chief police officer towards the vehicle. Courtney recognizes it instantly — back in the day Victoria would request some of the strongest drugs from this very person who owned the vehicle. Francis Bowers: resident drug dealer and a person _no one_ was to fuck with.

Her fellow police officer Hayden Jones bangs on the door. “Open up! Police!” No answer. “Bowers, we know it’s you, come out of hiding!” Still no answer. Hayden sighs. He jiggles with the door, finding it open. Hayden raises an eyebrow, and decides to peer in, only to find a very sad and gruesome scene before him.

Francis Bowers lays dead, his eyes cut off and several bruises on his dead body, proving they were there before death, and a very old Pompidou crying over his body. 

Courtney couldn’t help but shed several tears. She _might_ have been a police officer since 2016, but she's _not_ used to that.

* * *

** July 13th, 2024 **

Samantha Myers-DaCosta watches closely as Taylor and Victoria’s parents console a sleeping Victoria, who’s been attacked by, what she and Taylor claim, the Blackwell _Killers_. She has a slight concussion that isn’t affecting any parts of her brain, a sprained arm, and a huge bruise on her face, along with minor scrapes. She appears to be fine, but Samantha knows for sure that it comes with some psychological problems. 

A quick digging in Victoria’s medical file tells Samantha that she takes paroxetine for depression and also has an anxiety disorder, so there's no telling what’s going to happen from then on. Samantha is only a nurse assistant. She _loathes_ to ruin their fun and ignores the nurse's orders to kick the visitors out last night because it isn’t in her place to kick out a couple people consoling an injured person, especially considering a person she used to go to school with and who is mentally ill.

When she went to Blackwell, she didn’t really enjoy her time there. Once her four years were up, she graduated and applied to college away from Arcadia Bay. She received so much turmoil, like Nathan breaking her ribs and other students bullying her because of her quietness. She tried to keep close with Steph and Mikey, but fell out of touch with them after she moved away. She went to school and became a licensed nurse’s assistant, moved to neighboring Tillamook, and worked at the hospital since. She takes online classes so she can become a nurse, but it’s going to take a while.

She also married Daniel DaCosta a month ago. Their story is short: they met in college, dated, and now they’re married. Nothing special.

She knocks on the door and walks in, watching as three pairs of eyes look at her. “Good morning.”

“Hey Samantha,” Taylor smiles a little.

“I’m just here to check her vitals.” Samantha does exactly that, getting some controlled resistance from Victoria’s mother. She changes the IV bag and makes sure Victoria’s temperature is under control. When she’s about to leave, Victoria starts to wake up. Samantha turns around and is welcomed with Victoria’s earthy green eyes. “Good morning, Miss Chase.”

“Myers-DaCosta. Long time no see,” Victoria says back, with a little smile. “How soon can I be discharged?”

“Luckily for you, it was just a sprain and a mild concussion, so after this weekend you’ll be out of here,” Samantha replies, with a hopeful voice.

“There’s no rush, Vic,” Victoria’s mother scolds.

Victoria narrows her eyes. “I _hate_ hospitals, mom. Plus, it’s a sprain. Not a fracture or a broken bone. I can leave quicker than expected.”

“Victoria, listen to your mother,” Victoria’s father reprimands.

Victoria huffs. “Fine, daddy.”

Samantha flashes a wicked smirk. Never has she seen Victoria shut down in front of anyone. Then again, she must have learned it from _someone_. “We can guarantee your discharge by tomorrow afternoon.”

“Good,” Victoria responds, her head holding high despite her injuries preventing her from exerting herself. “I don’t need to be holed up in a room longer than I should be. Reminds me of my short stint at the psych ward.” Victoria’s father glares at her. “What? I’m not kidding!”

Samantha leaves the room in a hurry. She exhales, and starts chuckling. She never thought she would be relieved to see a former queen bee in her hospital, but here she is. And it’s a breath of fresh air.

* * *

When Max hears of Victoria being hospitalized after evading death from the Blackwell Killer, she wants to visit her before she’s discharged. She heard Chloe talking about it, expressing how the Blackwell Killer should’ve killed her, and decides not to listen to any more of it. She grabs her light jacket and orders an Uber to drive her to the hospital in Tillamook. She gets there in half an hour, and after checking in with the receptionist, she heads upstairs to the third floor and walks towards the door. When she looks inside the window, she sees Victoria in a deep sleep, the room also occupied by Taylor. She enters as quietly as possible.

“Max? What are you doing here?” Taylor asks accusingly.

Max throws her hands up in defeat. “I come in peace. I’m nothing like Rachel and Chloe.”

Taylor narrows her eyes. “Why should I believe you?”

“Think about it, Christensen. Have I _ever_ been vindictive or evil, or stooped down to old Victoria’s level to get anything I ever wanted?”

Taylor thinks for a minute. “I suppose you’re right. She’s sleeping right now but knowing her, she’ll wake up in a few minutes. Plus, I need to stretch my legs and get some coffee. I don’t trust staying out of her sight for a second and neither do her parents but they had to leave.”

Max smiles a little. “Thanks, Taylor.”

Taylor only gives a curt nod, and leaves the room. Max sits on the seat and watches as Victoria stirs a little. A phone chimes, and Max is seconds away from chasing down Taylor until she looks at the notification in question - a message from a person named Trisha Young. Max recognizes that person. They practically own the publishing company that publishes the _Vampho_ series. Victoria did mention she works for them, so she thinks nothing of it, until she reads the message.

**Trish:** Hey, Vick. I heard of your injury and the entire company is praying for a speedy recovery for you. I also received some of your notes for the last installment to the series. I think you’re ready to come back, sis! I love the part where Ashlee—

“Jesus H., Maxine. You’re still fucking nosy,” Victoria croaks, making Max jump and almost drop the phone. “And clumsy too.”

“I thought—I...you were sleeping a few seconds ago.”

“I’m very sure Taylor told you I take cat naps,” Victoria replies. “What the hell were you looking at, anyway? My screensaver? My porn playlist?”

Max blushes at that statement. She hasn’t gotten that far, assuming Victoria uses a passcode. “You-you got a message from Trisha Young,” Max stammers, giving Victoria the phone. “I knew you were working for her but—“

“Fuck, what did you find out?” Victoria reads the message, and facepalms herself using her good hand. “For fuck’s sake, Trish. I’m gonna _kill_ her when I get back to New York.”

“I...you’re the real author, aren’t you?”

Victoria shifts her eyes to the side. “Yes, I am. But, there’s a reason why I lied to everyone for almost a decade. I didn’t want to lie, but I didn’t want my past catching up to me, so I produced this under a pen name. I spent _years_ keeping this a secret, and I will not let you or anyone else from Blackwell tell people without letting me tell people the truth.”

Max eyes the passion in Victoria’s eyes. She means every word and Max is pretty sure Victoria would kill a bitch for talking out of pocket about her pseud. “I wanted to meet the author for so long...and turns out I knew her this entire time.”

“Honestly I expected you to be pissed and _not_ starstruck.”

“Because I don’t blame you, Victoria,” Max sighs. “I don’t fucking blame you. _Everyone_ at that reunion dislikes you and one word of your past from any of those students would make you blacklisted, so I do understand. I would like for you to reveal your talent to the world and take ownership of something that is beautiful, but I do understand.”

“I would love to take ownership, Max. Trust me, I do. But...not right now. I figured you losers can buy my last book and then I pull a ‘surprise bitch’ and they burn my books, but they’re still buying them and I’m still getting that sweet, sweet royalty money.”

Max chuckles. “That’s a very Victoria way of looking at it...and you called me Max.”

“Well, I just had a near death experience and I’m pretty sure I still have a concussion so you can blame it on that.”

Max chuckles. “_Sure_.”

“Seriously, you aren’t gonna tell anyone about this, right?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Max replies. “Do your parents know? What about Taylor? Did Courtney know before...ahem…?”

“Yes, yes, and no. I always keep it a hundred with Taylor, no matter what. I maintain that same energy with Courtney. I was planning to tell her before she died, like how she was planning on inviting me to her wedding with Evan Harris, but alas, death. Plus, my mom had to know because I used her maiden name in my pen name.” 

“Wait, your mom is _Jewish?_”

“Mazel tov,” Victoria smirks. She looks at the door, then back to Max. “Any more questions?”

“I don’t know...I’m still a little starstruck that I’m finally getting to meet the writer...wait, then who’s the person that goes to the book signings?”

“That would be my totally heterosexual editor Fiona Balor,” Victoria replies. “She’s fine with it, considering she’s my editor and she acts like she would take a bullet for me.”

“Well. That explains that...I mean, you _really_ should consider putting your face on the books. You’re extremely talented, Victoria, assuming you hand-draw this as well as write this. You’re disserving your fans if you just allow your editor to claim the books instead, and that includes me.”

Victoria shrugs. “I know...that—I have to think about it. I was sure about being a ghostwriter forever, but I don’t know. My writer’s block spell is finally broken and I'm ready to publish again but...maybe I should be honest for this last book. Make it end with a bang and not a whimper. I still gotta think about it...and have a long talk with Trish, assuming I haven’t killed her yet for this goddamned text.”

Max opens her mouth to reply when the door opens again and Taylor walks in, looking a little better after stretching her legs. “I assume things are ok because Victoria hasn’t killed you yet.”

“I’m working on it,” Victoria shrugs, winking at Max. “I thought you was never gonna leave me alone.”

“No, but Max walked in and while she is...Max, she’s more trustworthy than _most_ of our classmates.”

“Valid point.”

“You two are lucky I’m not taking offense to that,” Max replies, getting up from the chair. “Um, before Chloe and Rachel figure out where I went—“

“Go, Maxine. We don’t _actually_ want to see you dead because your girlfriends hate me so much that they don’t want _anyone_ visiting me,” Victoria rolls her eyes. “And remember to keep your mouth shut.”

“Will do.” Max walks out of the room and heads to the elevator, with shit on her mind. She really thought she was just going to see how the girl was doing, only to find out a secret that she didn’t mean to find out about. Courtney didn’t even know before she died, but Max knows, and hell, no matter how she feels about Victoria, she rather take this secret to her grave than to deal with Hurricane Victoria after Max accidentally lets it slip to some person she trusts but won’t actually keep a secret.

She gets home in almost an hour. “Max?” She hears Chloe yelling out.

“It’s me,” Max replies.

“Where were you?” Chloe asks. “Rachel went out to look for you and hasn’t reported back anything.”

Why would Rachel go outside to look for her? Ever since Victoria got attacked, both Rachel and Chloe are acting suspicious and while Max feels like she can speak to them about anything, there were things that she still withheld from them, like making friends with Victoria Chase and knowing of her actual occupation, which is doing better than anyone else from Blackwell, even better than Rachel. “I stepped out for a few. You two were talking about how the Blackwell Killer should’ve killed Victoria so I let you two air it out and left.”

Chloe furrows her eyebrows. “Normally you don’t walk away from that.”

“Yeah because you’re not _usually_ talking about how a serial killer should kill a former bully,” Max replies. “I understand that you hate her, I do, but wishing death on her? Is that what Kate would’ve wanted?”

“Kate would’ve wanted it if her religion didn’t tell her to forgive all the time.”

Max narrows her eyes. “Did you even know her? Kate would _never_ wish death on anyone. Hell, if she were alive, she wouldn't even wish death on the Blackwell Killer, or even our previous trashbag of a president Donald Trump! Why is it ok for _you_ to think this way?”

“I’m not the only one—“

“That’s _not_ what I asked you!” Max argues. “You know what? What was the point of lying to you? I went to visit her at the hospital, because that’s what human beings do regardless of their past. She’s doing fine, by the way.”

Chloe clenches her fists, but then she sighs, unclenching her fists. “You’re cheating on me. That’s what it is.”

“What the fuck?” Max tries to rack her brain, wondering why Chloe would even say that. Was it because she lied? “I’m not cheating on _anyone_! I just wanted to check on a classmate who was attacked by a serial killer, _narrowingly_ evading death because Taylor was there to save her ass!”

The door opens and closes. “Chloe, I couldn’t—“ Noticing the tension, Rachel enters the room and looks between Chloe and Max, who are glaring at each other. “Max, you’re back. Where were you?”

“Tell her,” Chloe says. “Tell her where you went.”

“I visited Victoria at Tillamook Hospital,” Max answers. “Apparently, me visiting her means that I’m cheating, as if making friends with a former bully breaks some code we have between each other.”

“That's because it does break the code. Max, we hate her.”

“Well I don’t! I _never_ did!” Max argues. “You know what, fuck this. When you two are ready to have a civil conversation instead of giving me ten reasons why I shouldn’t check on a classmate, you can _find_ me at the Price residence!” Max storms out the hotel room and eventually the entire building, heading to Joyce’s place. She hasn’t been inside the home in ten years but she’s sure Joyce wouldn’t deny her. She knows she can’t exactly go back inside there, not when Chloe and Rachel are acting extremely jealous and irrational. They don’t usually have arguments but this one was hella intense, and it makes Max a little drained when she gets to the Price residence.

It still looks the same. While David’s items are completely gone, the house is still unfinished but things are still being kept, meaning Joyce either does it herself or she finds someone to do it. Max rings the doorbell, and within a few minutes, Joyce opens the door, wearing a dirty apron. “Max? You alright?”

“I just had a bad argument with Chloe and Rachel and I don’t wanna be there right now so...can I stay here?”

Joyce nods frantically. “Of course! You’re always welcome here, Max. Come in.” She sidesteps so Max can walk in. When Max enters the house, it’s cool but there’s a familiar warmth she hasn’t felt in a long time. It feels like a second home. 

“I missed this house,” Max replies. “It hasn’t been lonely since David’s death?”

“It was, but I started to get used to the loneliness. Plus, most of the time I’m at the diner keeping myself busy.” Max walks around the house as much as she can, noticing the little changes here and there. There are still pictures of David around, and some pictures of younger Chloe and Max. There’s one picture of William and that’s it. The backyard still has the swing set, albeit rusted and probably in no good use than it was ten years ago. The table that used to have a bunch of papers are sorted out and the fireplace is shut off. “I’m glad you’re here at least.”

“Yeah. This is the only home I know of and I’m glad you haven’t moved out.”

“David paid out the house before he died,” Joyce mentions. “There’s no point in moving when all I can pay is utilities every now and then.”

“That’s great actually.”

“_Very_ great,” Joyce smiles. “I was making some pasta primavera, do you want some?”

“That sounds delicious,” Max says, rubbing her stomach. “I didn’t get to eat ever since I left the hotel...the first time. I heard of what happened to Victoria and went to visit her. She’s doing ok but Chloe and Rachel hated that I went to visit her.”

“I just had a little conversation with her a few days before. I wanted to say sorry for Chloe’s behavior the other day, and she told me to never apologize for Chloe’s behavior but appreciated it. She seems a lot more adult than Chloe.”

“Yup, she _definitely_ is.” Max ignores the calls and texts she’s getting from what she presumes is either Chloe, Rachel, or both. She hopes to get away from them for a few hours. When Joyce brings out a plate of food, Max digs in. “Wow, this is pretty good.”

“My culinary skills haven’t failed me yet.” Joyce sits across from Max and they eat in silence for a while. Then Joyce asks Max what’s been going on in her life. Max answers to her ability, mentioning her photographer life and being in a relationship with two women she has grown to love and respect. Despite their fights, Max knows they can heal from it and move on. 

But this time, Chloe and Rachel’s irrational anger towards a former classmate of theirs makes things a lot more complicated. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shit’s hitting the fan 🤔


	10. Chapter 10

** July 17, 2024 **

A pale hand flips the page of the current newspaper, and reads the headline: Blackwell Killer Strikes Again: Former Blackwell Student Evades Death. Blue, bloodshot eyes scan the paper, widening their eyes as they reach upon a name they recognize. They grab a pair of scissors located next to them, carefully cut out the headline, and go upstairs to their cork board. Lines connecting to other headlines and yearbook pictures of former students and faculty are hung up, along with two extra pictures right in the middle of it.

As they stick the newspaper headline on the cork board, they hear a doorbell.

Sighing, they head downstairs and without warning, they open the door, looking at the person with relief and surprise. 

“Hey Nathan.”

“Victoria, what a pleasant surprise,” Nathan greets, and gives his best friend a careful hug.

When Victoria started school at Blackwell, she met Nathan and they became close friends. Victoria knew things about Nathan that no one else did, and vice versa for Nathan. She was the person who knew of his mental problems as well.

Despite this, they manage to change the Vortex Club to the partying, social elite club that only a few people can join. Victoria didn’t want people like Rachel or Chloe joining them, but Nathan allowed it. Nathan knew Rachel for many years, being neighbors for quite a while, and while he couldn’t trust Rachel at all, he knew he would have hell to pay if he didn’t let Rachel join, so she did, along with Chloe.

Nathan hated Chloe way more than he hated Drew North. Well, he hated _everyone_ and kept his circle short so it didn’t surprise him, but her attitude was unsettling even to a bipolar schizoid like himself. When Kate died, Nathan had other shit to worry about, like his declining mental health. When he was suspended, he had a terrible mental breakdown and he was escorted to a psychiatric ward. He wasn’t there for Victoria when people gave her shit for what she did to Kate, despite his knowledge of giving Kate the drugs in the first place. He _regretted_ giving Kate those drugs. Had she not drank the water, she wouldn’t have been dead...or maybe she would’ve because it takes a mentally ill fuck to know another mentally ill motherfucker. 

Nathan was released from the psych ward in 2019. Around that time, Arcadia Bay was finding out about David Madsen’s murder. He initially had no idea who did it and the deaths following it didn’t make it any better...until he heard of Frank’s death. He has had his suspicion on not one, but two people being the Blackwell Killer ever since, and keeps to himself inside the home because he feels like he’s a threat to society and he surely doesn’t want to die in these streets...and if he’s gonna die, he’s gonna die _after_ exposing the truth.

“You look even paler than usual,” Victoria comments, upon entering the Prescott Estate.

“That’s what happens when you lock yourself away from civilization,” Nathan says back. “Now, what brings the pleasure of you being here?”

“Well, to see _you_,” Victoria replies. “I knew I would have had to make a pit stop here before I go back to New York, but it seems like I might be staying longer thanks to this...fucking killer, or should I say killers. I thought I was seeing double that night, but Taylor confirmed it when she made the police report.”

Nathan widens his eyes. “_Oh?_”

“Yeah. I still can’t believe—“ Nathan barely listens after that, thinking to himself that he might be right after along. Victoria is the only surviving victim so far, so she must be right. “Nate? Are you listening?”

“Sorry...I uh, you were saying it was a two person job?”

Victoria’s eyes widen slightly. “You know something.”

Nathan sighs a little. “I don’t know. I’m still trying to make heads and tails to what you told me. I’ve been following this case since Frank.”

“Everyone has—“

“No, not like _that_. Come on, let’s go upstairs.” Nathan beckons Victoria upstairs to his room, where the cork board is right there by the desk inside his room. His room used to be bleak and depressing but now it's lighter and a lot less bleak. “I’ve been trying to figure shit out ever since Frank’s murder, and I have the two people who can be the Blackwell Killers.” He points to the two picture in the middle of the cork board. “People thought it was Jefferson, but this _can’t_ be his work. He wasn’t a passionate killer. Plus, fortunately, he’s dead.”

Victoria looks at the both of them, widening her eyes. “Chloe Price and Rachel Amber? You think it’s these two bitches?”

“Think about it, Vic. They are the _only_ two people that others wouldn’t suspect, and who also hate Arcadia Bay more than you. Plus they have connections to the victims. David was Chloe’s stepfather, albeit not a very good one I assume. James was, of course, Rachel’s father. Mark Jefferson, of course, is our photography teacher. The others were our students and faculty...except for one. i’m _sure_ you know Rachel had extramarital affairs with Frank Bowers.”

“I sure fucking do,” Victoria says.

“Stella believed you,” Nathan says, pointing to a yearbook picture of Stella Hill. “I believe she watched an instance of Rachel getting into a van.”

Victoria grimaces. “Well, that explains her death. _Kinda_.”

“I agree that it was out of pocket too. Stella was harmless for the most part. Then, Warren used to stalk Max and seemingly disliked Chloe, and Mikey North could care _less_ about Rachel. Mikey was nonetheless innocent otherwise but I guess Rachel felt a way about it. Then there was Eliot, who broke into the Amber residence and locked Chloe inside one of the offices. Eliot warned Chloe about Rachel, but he was a creep.”

Victoria nods. “And Wells?”

“_That’s_ a given. He managed to let both of us get away with a lot of shit, including terrorizing Kate Marsh. Courtney was the main person trying to solve the mystery but even though she didn’t have much of a lead, they felt threatened. And now there’s you.”

Victoria thinks of the barbecue when Chloe has threatened her: ‘_**Be forewarned. Your friends may not always be here to back your gangly ass up.**_’ It was definitely out of place and Victoria knew it was suspicious but she didn’t think too much of it...until now. “I...ok. But these two?”

“I’ve known Rachel since we were kids,” Nathan explains. “She’s always been domineering...a natural leader...manipulative as _fuck_ though. She has to be the ringleader for everything, which made me dislike her when we were kids but our parents wanted us to be friends. I don’t know why, I'm guessing it’s because there weren’t any other neighbors with kids. Then there’s Price. She had her dad die at a young age and through some fishing, around that time, Max Caulfield was her best friend and she moved to Seattle, to add insult to injury. Price was involved with drug using, sneaking into concerts, and hooking up to feel something and get an escape from life. She started following Rachel wherever she goes, like when they both went to Vortex parties. Granted, Price only went for free booze and weed, but to also make out with Rachel when no one is looking. It has to be these two. Who else would think about killing students?”

“You’d be surprised how many people at that school would _love_ to kill others.“

“Yes, but not _many_ would act on it,” Nathan says. “Notice the pattern that all of these victims are falling into. Eyes cut off, blood running down their faces like tears, bruises from blunt force trauma and stab wounds over the heart. They do the same thing to every victim, except for Jefferson who had gunshot wounds on his foot and heart. The stab in the heart would represent heartbreak or betrayal, and the eyeballs being cut off is obviously something that we don’t get to see, but I do see it. These women are sociopaths, even worse than Jefferson.”

“How was it being with Jefferson that differs with these two?”

“Jefferson was a creep, of course, but his drive was _never_ really to kill,” Nathan explains. “He only killed when he needed to, which was very seldom. I’ve seen him at his best and his worst, and it isn’t pretty, but...I don’t know. I can’t really explain him anymore. You would think you know someone after knowing all their secrets but...it’s been a while.”

“Ok...let’s say they _are_ the killers…” Victoria laments, scratching her sprained arm under her sling. “What about Max? Does she know about this?”

“I doubt Max Caulfield has any idea about any of this, otherwise she’s just as twisted...and I’m very sure Rachel swindled Chloe into doing her bidding because while Chloe can be vindictive and manipulative on her own, Rachel can trick _anyone_ into thinking she’s a good person.”

“You got that right,” Victoria says, making a small noise in the back of her throat. “So, most of these victims were Blackwell faculty and alumni, but what do you think about James Amber? He was neither of those things.”

“James’ death was so out of pocket, people thought it wasn’t the Blackwell Killer, but he was killed the same way as everyone else. Now, I thought why would someone kill the retired district attorney when he wasn’t even an Arcadia Bay resident when he was in school? James Amber is a certified Californian, as if Rachel’s bitching about how much she misses California isn’t enough to tell you they’re not from here. James had _many_ enemies, but most of them are either dead or in prison. That left the one person that was close to James: his daughter. Rose is dead by the time of James’ _murder_ because of natural causes, and no extended family visits them often to my knowledge. So, I did a background check and found out _exactly_ what I needed to find out: Rose Amber isn’t Rachel’s biological mother in the first place.” Victoria widens her eyes, but then realizes she should’ve seen it sooner. James and Rachel looked alike while Rose looked nothing like Rachel. “Her _real_ mother is a California woman named Sera Gearhardt, who died of an overdose in December 2022. Rachel must’ve felt a type of way finding out that her mother isn’t the mother she’s been living with and felt betrayal towards her dad.”

“Hmm.”

“Did you see anything when you were being attacked?”

Victoria thinks for a while. She didn’t see anything but two really skinny figures, with feminine curves. Her adrenaline and fight/flight receptor weren’t thinking of details. They were hoping Victoria would run faster and get away from the psychos. “All I saw were dark figures and they were skinny. Taylor saw a bit of hazel eyes, devoid of any emotion other than rage...she also saw blue eyes...shit, it really is them.”

“Yeah. I just gotta prove it,” Nathan says back.

“I wonder what alibis they’re gonna make up to cover their own asses.”

“Wait, they’re being interrogated?” Nathan asks.

Victoria nods. “Max confirmed it this morning...I think you should take this to the police and see what they think about it...at least when you get interrogated.”

“I cannot risk another trip to the psych ward, Vic,” Nathan sighs. “As much as I would _love_ to expose these two, the police might look at me like I’m crazy. And what’s the point of me being interrogated when I haven’t left the house since 2019?”

“I don’t know but they’re asking everyone to be interrogated.”

Nathan stares at the cork board and back at Victoria. “Alright but if I’m thrown inside a padded cell, I will hate you forever.”

* * *

“I’m telling you, we were at home making chicken alfredo,” Chloe repeats for the umpteenth time. 

Hayden stares at Chloe, noticing how nervous she looks. Her eyes are darting from left to right, as if she’s hiding something. “Hm, are you _sure_, Price? Because you look kind of nervous.”

“Hayden, you know me. I would never come back here for anything, and definitely not to kill my girlfriend’s dad,” Chloe pleads.

“Anything _huh_,” Hayden speaks up. “Your stories are not adding up, Price. We saw a dead vehicle on the 101 a few days ago, and Steph recognized it immediately as the car you always rode in since 2010. It even has the licensing plate under your name. We’ve seen this vehicle around Arcadia Bay a few times, so it seems like you _do_ come back here.”

“Yeah, to visit my mother,” Chloe lies. “She's alive, and alone in her house ever since David died so sometimes I come up here to see her.”

Hayden raises an eyebrow. “It was _never_ parked around the Price residence though. Also we interrogated your mother and she said the last time she saw you before the reunion was the day after our high school graduation. So explain to me - since you’re not visiting your mom, proven by the statement your mother gave me, then why are you showing up here? Give me a reason so that I don’t have to _lock your ass up_ right now for lying to me.”

Chloe tries to find the words, while in another interrogation room, Steph sits across from a nonchalant Rachel. “I’m _waiting_, Amber.”

Rachel stares up at Steph. “Chloe and I were in our room, making out.”

“Oh _were_ you?” Steph narrows her eyes, not believing Rachel for a second.

“Yeah, we’re together. That’s what we do,” Rachel replies matter of factly.

Steph chuckles humorlessly. “So...you weren’t far, right?” Rachel nods. “That means Max’s Facebook status update was all bullshit huh?”

“What the _hell_ are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about this,” Steph replies, and presents Rachel with Max’s status update on that same day. “She says, and I quote, ‘Can’t sleep rn...missing the girls…’. She’s talking about you and Chloe. You couldn’t have been nearby for her to say she misses you.”

“Max has separation anxiety—“

“_Separation anxiety?_ Do you really think i’m dumb?” Steph inquires. “That may apply for a dog, _maybe_ a toddler, but not a grown woman.”

“You think i’m lying?” Rachel questions.

Steph scans Rachel’s eyes, finding nothing but a lack of emotion. Steph isn’t buying it at all. After interviewing psychopaths, sociopaths, and serial killers for a while, she knows exactly how they act and how they operate. Rachel doesn’t have her convinced for a second. “I think someone’s lying. Max was interrogated yesterday, proving this status update to be true. Her alibi is impenetrable. However, you...your story is not adding up at _all_, Amber.”

The door opens, revealing Hayden wiping some sweat from his brow. “Hey, can you come check this out?”

Steph glares at Rachel once again, and leaves the room to talk to Hayden. “What’s up?”

“Chloe claims they were making chicken alfredo on the day James Amber died.”

Steph almost smirks. “Oh, really? Rachel says they were making out while Max was laying down next to them in the same room.”

“Neither of these make any sense,” Hayden frowns. “I put Chloe in a holding cell because she lied about her car never showing up in Arcadia Bay, despite reports from residents reporting a suspicious vehicle.”

“Rachel says they’re making out, and I explained that her girlfriend Max made a status update around the same time she claims she and Chloe were kissing.” Steph pulls out a copy of the mentioned status update.

—

** Max Caulfield **

2/23/2023, 10:12pm

_Can’t sleep rn...missing the girls…_

—

“Did you check Chloe and Rachel’s pages?”

Steph shakes her head no. “I’m gonna have the investigative team look at it. Until then, transport Rachel in a holding cell and I’ll do Chloe. I don’t care if they stay there all night. Also, Victoria called me to tell me Nathan’s on his way.”

“Interesting. _More_ former classmates I have to interrogate.” Hayden rolls his eyes, and retrieves a pair of handcuffs from his belt. “Alright, go on.” When Steph disappears, he enters the interrogation room with Rachel in it. “Amber, you are being investigated at the moment so we will keep you in a holding cell until further notice.”

After putting Rachel in a holding cell, Steph reports back to Hayden. “Are you ready?”

“Barely,” Hayden replies. “I’m kinda scared to see a classmate who’s been in hiding for many years.”

“Jones, Gingrich, Mr. Prescott is here.” An officer announces, and Hayden braces himself as he sees a pale, sleep deprived version of Nathan Prescott standing before them. He looks like he hasn’t slept in years along with not seeing civilization. 

“Stop staring at me and let’s get this show on the road,” Nathan speaks up, feeling self conscious about his former classmates staring at him. 

“I’m sorry, it’s been a while,” Hayden replies, giving Nathan a wry smile. “While I would love to ask you how you’ve been doing, we have things to discuss, right?”

“Indefinitely.” Nathan turns to his best friend Victoria, who has her hat lowered but can see everyone’s faces. “I’ll be back.”

Victoria nods. Both Steph and Hayden walk towards the interrogation room. It’s a small room, but so far Nathan doesn’t feel like he’s going to panic. It isn’t the padded cells he was in for a while. “How’s it going, Prescott?” Steph starts off.

“Nothing much,” Nathan replies. “It’s my first time I’ve breathed fresh air since I got out of the hospital, so this is weird.”

“Yeah…” Hayden agrees. “Now...while we don’t have any proof that you went and killed these people, we still have to find out what’s going on. 

They quickly start the interrogation process. Nathan is able to provide call logs of times when he called his friends or when his friends and relatives called him. 

Steph takes each paper and reads them over, finding the phone number of Victoria, Taylor, and Kristine. She highlights their contact numbers and time durations, as well as the exact time. 

He also provided a journal entry as well as medical records indicating that he was inside the psychiatric ward around the time of Madsen’s death.

Hayden sighs as soon as Nathan leaves the interrogation room and Steph offers to take him back to the entrance. Other than Chloe and Rachel for not getting their stories straight, both him and Steph couldn’t find an actual suspect. They, along with Courtney, suspected it was Jefferson for a while, but Jefferson was killed in his own bunker. He was missing for weeks before they found a body in the freezing chamber under a bunker.

At one point, people thought Frank was making the killings. It wouldn’t be out of pocket for a resident drug dealer and former student at Blackwell to turn into a ruthless killer. However he was dead, and his dog died too.

Courtney, Steph and Hayden knew it couldn’t be Victoria either. A quick looking in her files proves that Victoria travels everywhere except for Oregon...the _entirety_ of Oregon. Courtney proved this by saying she has not truly seen Victoria over at Arcadia Bay since their last day of school. If she _wanted_ to see Victoria, it was either FaceTime or she and Taylor were flying to New York City, but they never did that because both of them were too busy to visit the concrete jungle.

Plus Victoria had more tickets and camera violations in New York than she had in other states, so she doesn’t travel by car often. If she had to go outside New York State, she avoided Oregon at all costs.

All suspects were proven to be false, including Nathan. However, they might have somewhat of a lead. 

_Might._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> looks like 2/3 of amberpricefield didn’t think their story thru 👀
> 
> ok I’ve stated that this will be my last LiS fanfic and that is once again true. I have finished the chat series that should have ended a while ago and other than my other series, i’m not posting any more fanfic in this fandom. tbh i’m tired lol. i’m not sure if i’m into fandom anymore since everything I’ve written this year has either been aborted, on hiatus, or is an original story. people are just getting too nasty nowadays.
> 
> who knows, maybe I’ll revisit this fandom or if you’re into other fandoms I post for, you can read my most recent fics. it ain’t too terrible lol.
> 
> also this fic, amongst other fics that have a higher rating than T, is locked. I wish ao3 had a better way of combating this by making sure no one under 18 (or 13) is reading smutty/overly violent/gruesome fanfic but they tried...plus it’s still in beta hahaha. also I don’t care for guest kudos. guests never really comment on fics. I like comments.


	11. Chapter 11

** December 27, 2019 **

Silence overtakes the small neighborhood of Corvallis. 

Mikey North initially did not want to live here, but OSU wasn’t a terrible school. He was waiting, patiently, to graduate and get a move on to this plan he has had since the beginning of 2019: proposing to Warren.

He never thought dating Warren would _ever_ happen. He was merely a fan from far away, up until they finally meet during a project in 2013, and their relationship upgrades before his very own eyes. Mikey enjoyed it for what it is worth, which is why he wants to marry this man.

However he’s enjoying his 23rd birthday on this very earth.

He enjoyed the day with his older brother and Steph before having a dinner with Warren. In fact, he just left and Mikey is finished taking a shower. He just has to strip the bed—

_Thwack!_

Mikey suddenly hits the floor, and he is barely conscious for the next hit.

* * *

** July 18, 2024 **

“Both of you guys know this is the first time I’ve been back to Arcadia Bay since I graduated high school.”

Steph Gingrich knows Victoria is telling the truth. She has no reason to lie about her whereabouts. In fact throughout their friendship, Victoria never _truly_ lied, unless you count withholding information as lying.

Steph couldn’t lie by saying she never liked Victoria. She would be lying. In fact, she’s sure her feelings for Victoria have resurfaced since their last conversation at the skating rink. However, this isn’t about how Steph feels; this is about solving the fucking case. Other than Chloe and Rachel, there were no suspects and Steph couldn’t imprison 2/3rd of the polyam relationship without evidence. She could arrest them for lying, which is what she did.

“We understand that, Victoria,” Steph says. “But...we been through this before. We still have to question you. Now...last question, where were you on the night of February 23rd, 2023, between nine and eleven?”

Victoria sighs. “Between nine and ten, I was having sex with my then-girlfriend, Amanda Harris. At eleven, we got takeout.”

Steph blinks a couple of times. She didn’t expect Victoria to be _blunt_. “Ok…”

“Too much information,” Hayden grimaces.

“Oh, grow up Jones,” Victoria sneers. “It helps your case. You can contact Miss Harris if you want. I still have her phone number.”

“How do you keep your ex’s phone number in your phone?” Steph inquires. 

“She’s my roommate,” Victoria answers. “Listen. Not all exes are at odds. In fact, she helped me through some tough times, whether she’s my girlfriend or not.”

“We’ll take that into consideration,” Hayden grimaces. “I would ask you about Independence Day but—“

“Taylor, Courtney, and I were cleaning up the Lighthouse Park after the barbecue party. We stayed on the shore for a couple hours, then we separated. That was the last time I saw Courtney. I was with Taylor until we fell asleep, then you and Evan called us. Just in case you needed that story.”

Steph snorts a little. “Well, _it_ is precautionary.”

“Ok. I feel like you two have interrogated me enough. Now, can I go? I have a conference call with my boss.”

Hayden nods. “Yeah, uh, sure. I’ll escort you.”

* * *

** July 19, 2024 **

Taylor couldn’t cancel another event for the sake of her sanity. She came too damn far to let a couple of questioning sessions cancel her next event: speed dating.

Well, not really. It’s not speed dating...it’s more like speed _friendship_, since most of the former student body are either in relationships or married. Speed dating rules apply but it’s more like finding friends in people you either used to hate or didn’t get to know before graduation.

Taylor spreads out the last tablecloth and gives a nod towards her boss Greene before the principal opens the door, allowing her fellow graduates to come in. “Welcome to Speed Friendship! Speed dating rules apply, but you gotta befriend the person in front of you before the timer runs out...so everyone take your seats…”

Taylor watches as several people sit down in front of each other, including her best friend sit in front of Trevor Yard. She smiles a little - while she doesn’t like Trevor or Dana, at least they set aside their animosity for this one month. Plus, Victoria looks happier now that Trisha greenlit Victoria’s recent idea for the last novel. Victoria’s been on a high recently, and Taylor hopes this event doesn’t kill it.

What makes it even better is that neither Rachel nor Chloe are in sight. “Alright, topic’s on the board and will change as you change seats. And the timer starts...NOW!”

Victoria exhales as she looks at Trevor Yard, someone she never knew but was linked to Dana, who dated her best friend. Dana tried so hard to keep Taylor away from Victoria but that never happened. _Good._

“Favorite subject at Blackwell?” Victoria reads out. “Art, if you considered it a subject. I assume you don’t like any subjects since you barely went to school with your little buddy.”“

“I’m a registered nurse,” Trevor states.

“That doesn’t negate the fact that you hated coming to class,” Victoria points out. “I hated class too, especially science. Miss Grant hated me so much, ever since I showed up to class on the first day.”

“Keaton hated me,” Trevor admits. “I told him to stop talking in metaphor and he’s hated me since.”

Victoria snorts. “He needed to hear that.” The buzzer suddenly sounds off before either of them can speak. “Nice doing business with you, Yard.” She salutes him and moves to her left while Trevor moves to his own left. Victoria is face to face with Dana, and suddenly she wants to change chairs. “I wonder if I can change seats…”

Dana frowns. “Stop.”

Victoria rolls her eyes and looks at the screen. “What books do you like. _None_. Moving on.”

“I personally like Vampho,” Dana says, earning an eye roll from Victoria. Of course she likes the same book Victoria writes. “My favorite scene is when Ashlee and Josie kill that one hunter...what’s his name…?”

“Dylan,” Victoria mumbles. “I’m aware of the book, Ward. They killed Dylan because he was a racist, lesbophobic _ass_ who wanted to torture Vivienne. Point blank.”

“I wasn’t aware you read it. I thought you hated books,” Dana smirks.

Victoria gives Dana an appointed look. “I’m still not cool with you for breaking my best friend’s heart, so don’t think our shared knowledge of Vampho is going to change that.”

“I’m sorry for that,” Dana says. “I should have never kept her from you, no matter how much I hated you.” Victoria doesn’t respond, just scoffs. “How’s your arm healing up?”

“It hurts,” Victoria spits out. “Taylor’s been giving me sponge baths for a week.”

“Trevor had to give me a sponge bath because my feet were too swollen one time—“ the buzzer sounds before Dana can finish that. Victoria exhales a little in relief before moving to her left. 

Victoria is face to face with Alyssa Anderson next. “_My fucking god,_” Victoria mumbles. She looks at the screen next — “Name one thing you like about the person sitting in front of you. Huge fucking pass.”

“Glad we’re on the same page,” Alyssa replies, sneering at Victoria before looking away.

Victoria feels an arm around her shoulders and she jumps until she sees Taylor giving her a grin. “How’s it going?”

“Trevor and I hated coming here, and Dana got a sponge bath from Trevor when her feet were too swollen,” Victoria replies. “Now I'm in front of this wack ass bitch.”

“As if I want to be in front of your demon ass,” Alyssa retorts.

“Bitch, just consider yourself lucky I’m not the same girl from ten years ago because you would be crying in the bathroom,” Victoria threatens.

“I’m so scared,” Alyssa mocks.

“You _should_ be,” Victoria growls. 

“Hey!” Taylor frowns. “Come on, Vic. There’s gotta be _one_ thing you like about Alyssa. And Alyssa, there’s gotta be one thing about Victoria you don’t entirely hate. Come on, out with it girls.”

Alyssa sneers, but then her face relaxes. “As much as I hated you, I liked that you spoke your mind, regardless of how people felt.”

Victoria’s lips tug, but she doesn’t smirk. “Hm...I liked your shoes.”

Taylor snorts. “Wow, Victoria. _Such_ riveting.”

Victoria glares at her best friend. “Fucking dork.”

The buzzer sounds off, and Taylor lets go of Victoria so she can go to her left. Victoria is face to face with Max Caulfield, which is surprising to say the least. Victoria looks at the screen and sighs a little. “Name one thing you wanted to know about the person in front of you. Well, you can go first, Caulfield.”

“Why did you hate everyone in school?”

Victoria raises an eyebrow. “You can’t be serious, Maxine. With the way everyone treated me after Marsh killed herself, of course I would hate everyone in this school.”

“I meant _before_ Kate did what she did.”

Victoria grimaces. “Well, not everyone was all that great. Amber spiked my pre-performance tea even though I did _nothing_ to her, and Price was a lapdog who followed anyone who gave her the time of day. Still is by the fucking way. Everyone kissed the ground they walked on, even Nathan. Also Watson harassed me on several occasions and her dumb boyfriend wanted to ‘convert’ me before I can even admit to myself that i’m gay. My turn. Why don’t you like DSLR cameras, even to this day?”

“I don’t hate digital cameras, I just prefer vintage. I will agree that I used to be hella pretentious, but I personally like this camera.”

Victoria purses her lips. She kind of feels bad knowing that Max’s girlfriends are possibly murderers, and they tried to kill her a few nights ago. She wonders if Max even knows of what Chloe and Rachel do when they are missing for days while they come back here, kill some victim, and clean up their crimes before heading back home. It’s _weird_. “I thought it was dumb when I was younger but...everyone has their vice, I guess.”

“Are you ok now? I…assumed after everything that happened when we were kids that you wouldn’t be ok.”

Victoria smiles. “I’m in a _much_ better headspace. Not only do I have a support system, I'm doing something I love, as you may know.”

The buzzer goes off again, and Victoria moves where she is face to face with Juliet. It’s just not her lucky day, huh. “For fuck’s sake.”

Juliet doesn’t seem to be pleased either. “Let’s just sit until the buzzer sounds off.”

“Best idea you had all day, Watson.”

After the event, Victoria gathers the last garbage bags and dumps them in the school trash bin. When she walks back, she stares at the Blackwell totem as well as the Prescott Dorm building. It’s been expanded in the last ten years, and it surprises her that the name hasn’t changed, but whatever. The small memorial next to the building entrance is what intrigues her. She is instantly transported back to 2013 when it was raining.

Zachary Riggins storms inside the photography classroom and informs the photography class about Kate on the roof. Victoria had to see what was going on. Anything involving Kate was damned good posterity, and she surely wanted to get enough tape to post about a crazy bitch.

Victoria gets there in time. Kate is standing over a crowd, and Victoria can’t see her face but she knows Kate is probably weeping like a little girl. Victoria pulls out her phone and expects Kate to flash or something, but what she doesn’t expect, was Kate taking a step forward and tumbling to her death.

There is a collective gasp as Kate is falling, and there is silence as a large _thump_ of a body hits the pavement. Victoria almost drops her phone in sheer horror.

What happens is a blur. Kate’s dead on the scene and classes are cancelled for the rest of the day. Most of the students are setting up a memorial for Kate by her dorm, but Victoria is fucking numb.

She just watched her best friend get wheeled off to a mental facility after a severe mental breakdown inside of a classroom where he broke a window using a desk, and everything inside the room is completely trashed. Wells called his parents and the police, but the police couldn’t do anything to a person in extreme distress so his parents had him escorted to a mental facility. It’s for the best, she had heard Sean Prescott say to his wife.

She momentarily remembers the video on her way towards her dorm room and quickly deletes it. She wasn’t sure if she would be tied into posting the first video, but the second video definitely needed to be gone. 

Before she puts her cellphone inside her pocket, a hand smacks the phone from her reach, and a pair of combat boots step on the phone.

“What the fuck—“ Victoria doesn’t speak much because a pair of hands thrust her against the wall, and there are two menacing stares in front of her. “Get the fuck off me!” She struggles to say.

“This is all your fault!” Chloe yells.

“Marsh killing herself is _not_ my fucking fault, Price,” Victoria argues. “It doesn't work like that.”

With that, a bunch of angry students stare at her, and Victoria knows that what she says is not gonna matter. They’re pushing the blame on her. She understands everyone is angry, but...it’s no one’s fault. “Had you not posted that video—“

“That _everyone_ enjoyed!” Victoria yells.

“Give it up, Chase!” Dana growls. “You have no one by your side. No one agrees with you.”

“I don’t particularly care, Ward,” Victoria argues back. She shakes her head and chuckles darkly. “You are _all_ hypocrites. Fuck all of you.”

Chloe lets go of her, but not without delivering a punch across Victoria’s face. Victoria stumbles on the ground and that’s when she feels a harsh kick by Rachel. Victoria hisses in pain while everyone glares at her for a few seconds and clearing away. Victoria feels her chest constricting as she brings her legs towards her chest, and places her forehead against her chin, waiting for the panic attack to ride itself out. 

She barely feels Taylor by her side, guiding her through it.

Victoria exhales after the immediate flashback. If she didn’t get the help she needed, that would’ve garnished a panic attack, but she’s fine now. Yeah, she’s fine now.

It’s the first time Victoria has seen the memorial, even though she’s been at the campus a few times. Taylor said a while ago it was installed a year after everyone graduated. Wells, the previous alumni committee, and Kate’s parents agreed on it, and thanks to an old lump sum Wells received for an aborted handicap fund, they were able to install it right in front of the Prescott Dorm. They were also able to make the campus accessible so the money wasn’t completely wasted.

Victoria takes a deep breath as she stares at the memorial. It wasn’t much, just a plaque and a bunny. 

This is _another_ reminder of what would’ve been avoided if Victoria wasn’t such a bitch. She had to post that damn video. Kate would have been alive and breathing by now. Probably spreading the Word of God like she always did, annoying those who didn’t follow whatever religion she was in.

Maybe if Kate were alive, she wouldn’t condone what Price and Amber are doing...or maybe she would. Everyone believed Kate had a heart of gold, but Victoria always saw through it. Victoria doesn’t believe that people with ‘a heart of gold’, like how some people described Marsh at her mini-memorial, even existed. They never existed for her, so how do they exist in Arcadia Bay? 

She was numb about the suicide years ago, but looking at this memorial just brings unsavory memories and regret. She could’ve cried, destroyed the memorial, or curse out Marsh or something, but she stands there and sighs. That’s all she can do.

“Victoria!” Taylor yells. “You ok?”

Victoria nods. “Just looking at this memorial.”

Taylor grimaces a little. “Yeah.”

“Everyone hated me..._still_ hates me to this day, because of what I did to this girl,” Victoria sighs. “Now that I'm able to look at this and not get a panic attack, I can just feel regret that I ruined Marsh’s life enough to end her life. I felt like I killed her for years.”

“You know you didn’t, right?”

“Yeah, but it felt like I did...like it would be third degree murder or something like it,” Victoria replies. “I feel differently now, but nine years ago…and if she survived the fall or maybe someone went up there and saved her before she jumped, she would _never_ forgive me for it. I mean, videos are forever.”

“I think she would have,” Taylor disagrees. “She was _always_ about forgiveness. She would have forgiven you, _and_ Nathan.”

“If she did, I would tell her she’s full of shit,” Victoria replies. “Anyways, let’s get the fuck outta here. I feel like her ghost would haunt us or something.”

Taylor chuckles. “She would _totally_ Moaning Myrtle the shit out of this entire building.”

“Well I did hear that a student reported seeing her and a bunny haunt her former dorm room…”


	12. Chapter 12

** July 4, 2024 **

“Courtney Wagner speaking,” is said upon the silence inside a regular white sedan.

It’s hours after the barbecue. Courtney Wagner stays behind to help her best friends clean up after the event, and they have a moment of being little kids and splashing everywhere. Today was better than the welcoming feast, that’s for sure. Once Taylor told Chloe off, everyone backed off and that is good enough. 

Courtney missed her best friend. She always kind of knew Victoria didn’t like her at first, but Courtney did not have much friends on her own and she figured if she works on it long enough, Victoria would like her. Well, Courtney wouldn’t be calling Victoria her best friend if it did not work. 

There is a mysterious vibe coming from Victoria, but Courtney knows it _isn’t_ malicious. She feels like Victoria is hiding something and pretty soon enough, Victoria will tell the truth, but Courtney has never forced someone to tell the truth...except at her job.

The only malicious vibe that’s going around is once Chloe and Rachel made their presence at the welcoming feast. Back in school, Courtney never much cared for the both of them. They bullied Victoria, which isn’t any better from when Victoria bullied Kate, but Courtney can only do so much. She tried, and Victoria appreciated her for it, but Courtney feels like she should have done more. 

“Hey baby,” her fiancè Evan Harris greets lazily. “I thought you would’ve been back already.”

“Yeah but I had to clean up the mess those Blackwell dipshits left,” Courtney replies, rolling her eyes.

“Do what I did and skip out on those events.”

Courtney smirks. “If Taylor Christensen wasn’t planning the event, Victoria and I would _not_ be here. I shit you not.”

“Speaking of Victoria, have you told her about our wedding?”

Courtney sighs. She forgot to invite Victoria to their fall wedding. She hopes Victoria would make it to Arcadia Bay one last time to see her get married, and Evan wasn’t against it. “Shit, I forgot. It’s been kind of a leisure day and it did not cross my mind. Honestly I think it’s cool that you’re even letting me invite Victoria.”

“Because no matter how much Victoria and I were at odds in school, she mattered to you,” Evan replies. “Now, please come home so I can love you.”

Courtney chuckles. “You can just say you want to fuck me. What like it’s _hard?_”

“Just come home! You know that killer is around and I'm _all_ sorts of paranoid.”

“Alright, baby. I love you.” Courtney hangs up the phone and puts her car on drive. She pulls away from the parking spot and drives up a couple miles north.

However as she’s driving, a sheet aggressively covers her face. “What the fuck—?” Her voice is suddenly muffled and the car suddenly jerks, swerving around the road until it stops. She feels herself being transported somewhere else. As the sheet is removed from her face. She sees two hooded figures before a bat is smacked across her face.

* * *

**July 20, 2024**

Evan Harris initially did not want to do anything with any of the alumni events going on at Blackwell. He doesn’t have much savory memories at that school. However, this event might get him out of his depression. After all, it’s a carnival.

When his fiancée Courtney died, he barely had enough to keep going. He had to send their daughter Reece to live with his parents while he cleans out Courtney’s items. It was hard because often he couldn’t stop smelling her clothes, hoping to get some of his ex-fiancée’s natural scent. 

An hour after his last conversation with Courtney, he noticed she wasn’t coming so he calls Hayden to see if she stopped by the precinct on some last minute emergency. Sadly, there wasn’t any emergency but it does alert Hayden and the precinct to do a manhunt to find his wife to be. 

They found her hours later, by the nearest park, beaten and her eyes cut off, with multiple stab wounds around the heart.

Evan was way too distraught to call Taylor, so Hayden did. Hayden barely could keep it together as he told Taylor and Victoria that their best friend was found dead. It was a terrible night. Everyone was sobbing uncontrollably.

The funeral wasn’t even better. Evan _barely_ spoke halfway through his speech without crying and being escorted away thanks to Courtney’s parents. Everyone seemed out of it, including the entire police precinct who were in attendance.

Nonetheless, Evan knew he had to leave the house. If not, he would succumb to his own depression.

He sighs and gets inside his own car. Courtney’s sedan was towed for evidence, but it’s a good thing he has his own car. Their daughter Reece is still with her grandparents, plus she would be too young to go to carnivals.

It’s a nice carnival, open to the public, but he recognizes the Blackwell group from afar. Once he approaches the group, he sees Taylor approaching him. “Evan, it’s so good to see you,” she says, giving him a hug.

Evan hugs back momentarily. “I figured why not get out of the house once in a while.”

Taylor smiles. “It’s a small group, unfortunately. Uh, two of our classmates are still being held at the precinct and after questioning, some of us were too disenchanted to continue on.”

Evan looks to the side and he sees a couple people he recognized: Dana, Max, Trevor, Taylor, and Victoria. “It’ll do.”

“Exactly.” 

Evan decides to stay close with Taylor and Victoria, since they are the only connection to his ex-fiancée. Plus, he didn’t care for everyone else as classmates, and not as adults either. 

“Great,” Victoria groans, once she misses another ring toss. “I give up. Wanna take a crack at it, Harris?”

Evan shakes his head. “I don’t know—“

“You should,” Taylor pushes. “Come on. One game.”

Evan relents and takes the leftover rings from Victoria. He doesn’t get the first one, but the second one he manages to toss the ring into a bottle. Both Victoria and Taylor cheer and clap for him. “Way to go, Harris!” Victoria grins genuinely. “Which one of these teddies are you picking?”

Evan scans the small tier bears and picks a magenta colored teddy bear. Magenta is Courtney’s favorite color and Reece doesn’t hate it either. “Reminds me of Courtney.”

“She _sure_ loved her magenta,” Taylor says. “Come on. Time for corn dogs.”

Evan shakes his head, his lips tugging to a smile. Yeah, it was a good idea to go outside today.

Once they get a round of corn dogs, they sit at a picnic table. “Forgive me for asking, but I thought Nathan would accompany you guys as well.”

Victoria shakes her head. “It was hard enough getting him out to go to the precinct for questioning. Trust me, I tried.”

Evan grimaces. “He must have it bad, huh?”

“Hasn’t left the estate since 2019,” Taylor replies. “I wish we can help him but clearly...he doesn’t want it. Who are we to impose?”

Evan purses his lips. He could understand that. “Yeah, but are you guys at least visiting him?”

“Occasionally,” Victoria replies. “Like I said, I managed to get him out of the house so he can talk to the police for his statement, even though he’s innocent, but that’s about it. He can water his lawn now, but that’s it.”

“Yikes.” Evan wants to change the subject so badly. “So, how’s the arm?”

Victoria looks at her aligned arm. “It itches.”

“That’s nothing. I’ve been giving her sponge baths for the past week,” Taylor recoils.

Victoria playfully glares at Taylor. “It’s not like you haven’t seen my pussy before. You’ll be alright.”

“What has New York done to you?” Evan laughs. 

“Mellowed me out, that’s for damn sure,” Victoria winks. “The concrete jungle is _so_ much better than this shit town. At least people mind their business.”

“And apparently eat better pizza.”

Victoria chuckles. “It’s a fact. Seriously, when I get back home, I'm taking this bitch with me. We’re gonna eat pizza and Reubens all day.”

“Sounds like a fun time,” Taylor deadpans.

Victoria chuckles along with Evan. “Come on, Christensen. You’re telling me you wouldn’t have fun strolling down Prospect Park with your favorite bitch? Or eating better Asian cuisine from Flushing or Canal Street?”

“I love you,” Taylor says, leaning her head against Victoria’s shoulder.

* * *

Steph stirs her second cup of coffee for the day, feeling positively _crappy_. The coffee that her colleague made isn’t helping matters but it’s been a week since she’s gotten some real sleep.

Trying to find this Blackwell Killer has caused her to lose sleep. However, she couldn’t give up now. She just finished a questioning with Justin, and _that_ was difficult. Only Chloe and Rachel are in the holding cell because they couldn’t get their damn story straight the night James Amber died, and seemingly their girlfriend Max was the only one who got her story fully straight. 

“God,” Hayden mutters as he enters the office. “This is not helping my stressors. I had to take some Tums for my heartburn. Caffeine does _not_ agree with me like that anymore.”

Steph grimaces while taking a cautious sip. “What should we do? We can’t give up and make this a cold case.”

“I don’t know, but we should _definitely_ go home,” he suggests. “You got your stuff?”

Before Steph can get a move on, they hear the radio going off. “The holding cell is open,” a police officer speaks. 

Steph widens her eyebrows and runs outside to the holding cell, where neither Rachel nor Chloe are to be found, and a couple people in custody are trying to make their exit but are failing because it’s _now_ that the police officers are being competent.

“Shit!” Steph growls, while Hayden locks the door. The lights are cut off almost suddenly. Steph makes a bolt towards her desk and pulls out a loaded handgun, as well as her flashlight, and her baton from the drawer. She tries to find her keys, only to come dry. “My keys are missing.”

“That’s probably how they were able to release Price and Amber,” Hayden groans, and casts his eyes down. There’s no time to blame Steph for a noodle incident. It could’ve happened to him even. They’ve been tired all week. “But who, is the question.”

“We only interviewed Brittany and Justin,” Steph replies. “Brittany didn’t know either girl so it had to be Justin.”

“But why would Justin—_wait_...remember when Courtney said she felt this was more than one person doing the job?”

“She said there’s a possibility that there might be three,” Steph confirms. “You think Justin may be helping Price and Amber kill those people?”

“Maybe. One time during an event, Justin is amongst the people agreeing with the both of them when they were saying that Victoria was the suspect. I thought it was weird but I barely thought much of it until now.”

The lights come on again, but Hayden and Steph are still on high alert. They doubt Price and Amber went very far, and if they did, they still have to be on the lookout. Hayden opens the door, and looks around. Some of the officers are outside, asking each other if they are alright.

“Since everyone’s alright, that means we need to be on high alert,” Hayden announces. “We are looking for _three_ suspects around Arcadia Bay. One with platinum blond hair and hazel eyes, female, another with beach blond hair and is about 6’1”, male, and the other blue hair, female. We need to act quickly before they think about killing another person.”

There’s barely any movement. “_That means now!_” Steph yells, and that’s when officers start getting their weapons on the ready. “For fuck’s sake. At least this case won’t end up cold like I feared.”

“Come on Steph, time to get us a pair of serial killers.” Steph and Hayden smirk each other, and power walk towards the exit.


	13. Chapter 13

** June 30, 2023 **

Classical music can be heard coming from an old vinyl. There are bleak walls, with the occasional macabre image. The printer nearby starts whirring and activating, as a picture appears in front of a standing, brooding figure.

Mark Jefferson finds taking photos to be an art form. He loves capturing that perfect image, and that also included capturing Arcadia Bay’s young female population. 

Right when he ordered a young, reluctant Nathan Prescott to drug Kate Marsh a couple years ago, she was found on the steps, chuckling to herself. Mark took her away and did what he had to do, then he dropped her off at the front of the dorm stairway. The weekend after, Kate snaps and kills herself by throwing herself off the roof.

She was missed. Not to Mark though.

After his suspension, Mark comes back and continues his work, since of course, Nathan never revealed what actually happened. Mark’s recent subject was Rachel Amber. Unlike his other victims, Rachel always wanted it, and came back for more each time. He barely _ever_ had to drug her.

The first time they hooked up near campus, it was Mark’s greatest night. They continued their “business” relationship until Rachel graduated. She always came back, occasionally, and the hookups will be like the first time: rough, long winded, and damned good.

She always mentioned her girlfriends but Mark often shut her up because he wasn’t interested in that. He didn’t need to find out about Rachel’s other sapphic relationships because they weren’t relevant. He had Rachel right where he wanted her, and that mattered a lot more than her other partners.

Mark feels a presence behind him. “Amber. Long time no see.”

“Cut the crap, Jefferson,” Rachel says. “I’m not here on business.”

Mark turns around, and chuckles so hard, it echoes. “Brought your girlfriend with you?”

“One of them,” Rachel smirks wildly. Chloe appears before him, glaring up and down. “Mark, meet Chloe.”

“I’d rather not,” Mark says back. “I know what you’re here for. Gotta say...your work is messy, Miss Amber.”

“What do you know? You take photos,” she retorts

“I have a few skeletons up my sleeve, Miss Amber...literally,” Mark admits. “We _all_ know I was the one who really killed Kate, not Victoria.”

“That may be true, but she still is a piece of shit.”

Mark rolls his eyes. “On the contrary. She’s a decent person, albeit a mess. _You_ are the piece of shit.”

“I don’t have time for this,” Chloe mumbles, but Rachel stops her. Rachel pulls out a handgun and points it towards Mark. “Rach. Why are we dragging this out?”

“We aren’t, but Jefferson’s different,” she says, her voice sounding numb. “He’s just as fucked up as us.”

Mark raises his arms above his head. “Go ahead, Rachel. Take the shot. Just remember...you will meet your untimely fate sooner or later if you keep up with your amateur tactics.”

“Unlikely.” Rachel pulls the trigger and the impact makes her aim for his foot. “_Shit!_” She cusses as Mark hisses in pain. Before he crashes to the ground, Rachel shoots again, this time over the heart. “Let’s go.”

“That’s it?”

Rachel shrugs. “It’s not like anyone will find the body, right?”

“But what if they _do?_”

Rachel groans. “They won’t. Only Mark, myself, and Nathan know of this bunker. No one else. Besides...I don’t feel like it anyway. We have to get back to California before Max gets suspicious.”

“Max already knows we leave the state. We can take a few more hours,” Chloe smirks. “Besides, watching you shoot this motherfucker is _truly_ a sight.”

“Oh, is it?”

Chloe chuckles darkly as she pulls Rachel in her embrace. They stare at the dead body before them before going to a different part of the bunker.

* * *

**July 20, 2024**

“Perfect,” Victoria mumbles as she removes the plastic from her arm and slips on a nightgown to get ready for bed. She finally gets to take showers and god, did it feel good to not only do so but to make sure her sprained arm didn’t get wet in the process.

After a small struggle with the nightgown, Victoria puts her arm in a sleep sling and gathers her hair in a low ponytail. She hears a crash and a thump a minute later. With heightened anxiety, Victoria grabs a bat and gets a move on. 

She finds the window open. “For fuck’s sake,” she whispers. Victoria isn’t stupid. She knows that’s a red herring. “Come on you demons. Kill me. I know you're here.” There’s a chill as Victoria circles around the room, up until she sees a figure approach her. “What is this? _American Psycho?_ Bring it on!”

She feels a sharp push on her back and she stumbles on the floor. Victoria hisses from the impact, since her bad arm broke the fall, and tries to crawl away from both of them. She stares at a bracelet dragging her back towards the living room. 

Rachel.

Victoria stares at her assailants in the face, before they pull out the knife. 

Bingo.

With adrenaline running through her veins, Victoria swiftly kicks Rachel’s hand, making the knife clatter on the floor. With that distraction, Victoria kicks Rachel on her chin and then kicks Chloe, then stumbling to get up. “I’m not like your other victims,” Victoria says as she backs up. “And it’s _definitely_ not like the last time. If you’re gonna kill me, you have to fight me first. Both of you.”

“It’s two against one, Victoria,” Rachel smirks. “You’re not gonna win.”

“Exactly,” Chloe agrees.

“Try me, bitches,” Victoria challenges, then she makes a sprint away from both girls. She hears footsteps following behind her, which prompts her to run faster. She was never a fighter by any means, but she was a runner. She got to know Taylor’s place in and out, so she can easily evade her assailants and have enough time to find a hiding spot. 

Or not. Making them run and getting them winded is just as good. 

“Get back here!” She hears Chloe yell in frustration. 

“Getting _frustrated_, Chlo?” Victoria laughs. “I’m not that fast. Pick up the pace!” 

“Bitch!” Rachel yells.

“Come on, Rach. Step it up!” Victoria yells back. She locks herself inside Taylor’s master bathroom, and hides inside the bathtub.

The doorknob jiggles around for a bit, then a curse word. Victoria exhales, up until the wood splinters due to an axe, probably. Victoria springs up and darts around the room, only seeing the window. There’s a balcony and the jump down isn't much, but the sprain can turn into a fracture if Victoria falls down unceremoniously. She has to strategize.

Victoria opens the balcony door and steps over the terrace, then looks down and her breath hitches. It’s high enough, but Victoria _now_ knows her sprained arm would get worse if she attempted and it backfired on her. Shit.

“I could’ve sworn she—“

“The window!” Rachel yells, then reach outside to see Victoria moments from falling to what could be breaking her limb...not exactly her death. “Well well. We can just step on your hand and you can plummet to your death, like Kate.”

“Great idea, Rach,” Chloe chuckles. “At least when Victoria falls, no one would miss her.”

“It would be a nice early birthday present too,” Rachel chuckles back.

“What the _fuck_ is wrong with you two?” Victoria inquires.

“Don’t act like you give a shit, Chase,” Rachel growls. “You dug your grave when you killed Kate. Now it’s time for you to die. Any last words, Victoria?”

This can’t be it, she thinks. 

Victoria is seconds away from just taking the fall when she sees another figure approaching them. As soon as they are close enough, she smirks. “Yeah, I do. Say bye-bye to freedom, bitches.”

Suddenly, officers ambush both ladies and put them in handcuffs before they have the chance to stomp on Victoria’s hand. Hayden and Steph manage to pull Victoria up from the balcony, long enough to see both ladies get escorted away. Victoria exhales in total relief as she follows both officers towards the living room. She also sees Justin get taken away with the cops, along with Taylor standing by with Nathan.

“_Fuck_, that was nerve wracking,” Victoria mumbles. “Now I know why I’m not a cop.”

Everyone chuckles. “I can’t believe we caught them,” Hayden says.

“I can’t believe there was a third person,” Nathan frowns. “I had Amber, I had Price, but _Williams?_”

“This is going to be one for the damn books,” Victoria says. “I thought I was gonna die out there. You two _better_ make sure they never see daylight ever again.”

“Oh trust me, we will make sure of that,” Steph says adamantly. “But are you guys gonna be alright?”

Victoria nods, along with Taylor and Nathan. “Definitely. You two should make sure they don’t escape.”

“Good point,” Hayden says, and both officers leave the home without another word. Nathan closes the door behind them. Suddenly all three of them sigh and give each other a group hug.

There’s some silence while they embrace each other. This time, everyone is safe and neither Amber nor Price were successful in killing anyone else after Courtney.

It’s safe to say that neither of them would be leaving each other’s sight all night.

* * *

“Ugh,” Max groans to herself after carrying a couple bags inside. “I couldn’t find the specific condensed milk you wanted but I _did_ get a similar—“ 

A shrill scream interrupts Max from finishing the sentence. “Joyce?” She places the bags of groceries on the counter and goes to the living room. There are mugshot pictures of Chloe, Justin, and Rachel on the television, along with a headline: “Blackwell Killers Arrested at Tillamook Residence”

The headline makes Max’s knees buckle. She barely catches herself before she’s kneeling on the ground. “What—no, they did not—“

Her mind goes into haywire as she realized what’s going on. Her partners were involved in a decade long serial killer spree, each time they took their ‘vacations’. They fooled everyone into thinking that they were innocent, or whatever they were trying to convey. And Max? She was none the wiser “Fuck!”

“Max,” Joyce turns around and places her hands on Max’s shoulders, only for Max to suddenly flinch away. “I’m so sorry—“

“I should have known something was up. They were...going on business trips once every year or two years or whatever, saying they were going to one place but they were really here...killing people…they killed David, and several people, including my friends—“

“Max, you couldn’t have known this at all.”

Max shakes her head. She wanted to cry, or shout, or do something destructive, but the news is draining her. She can barely pay attention at the interviews that the reporters are doing with several former students, including Steph and Hayden. She couldn’t listen to them talk trash about the two girls she deeply cared for, but at the same time, they deserved it...almost.

“...and poor Max.” Juliet’s voice makes her look at the screen automatically. Max wanted to rip Juliet’s hair from the screen itself. She can handle Steph, she can handle Hayden, maybe even Nathan and Taylor if they were there, but not this bitch. “I know she wasn’t involved in this. She couldn’t have been—“

“That’s _enough_,” Joyce announces, while turning off the television. “If you want to really take pity on Max, you would respect her privacy!”

Max chuckles a little. “Shit. What do I do now? I...can’t bring myself to cry, and I know it’s going to take forever before I decide to go see both of them again.”

“I don’t know what to do either. Chloe’s my daughter, even though she killed my husband,” Joyce replies. “I guess we can try to figure that out together.”

“I hope so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smh jefferson warned y’all


	14. Chapter 14

** January 1, 2025 **

Max Caulfield waits patiently at the visitor center. It’s a much better day, in terms of the weather, but not for her in general. It’s the first time she managed to find time and visit two people she once cared about. 

After Chloe and Rachel were arrested and convicted, Max had no choice but to pack up and leave LA for good. She moved back in with her parents but is actively looking for a bachelorette pad to stay in. She’s planning on going back to school because photography can only go so far, and her job as a secretary isn’t exactly that thrilling either. 

The rest of the events from the reunion were cancelled except for the closing feast, which was pushed back. It worked out - basically everyone had fun but Max couldn’t even eat or entertain the other attendees because now she found out that the two girls she loved are serial murderers who tried to kill a famous author.

Within minutes, Chloe and Rachel walk in, with handcuffs circling their wrists and in matching beige inmate outfits. They both smile at Max, but Max just grimaces back.

When they sit down, Max exhales slowly before starting. “It took me _this_ long to gain the courage to see you two.”

“I wonder why. We missed you,” Rachel smiles. 

Chloe tries to reach over as much as she can but Max withdraws her hands from Chloe’s reach. “Max?”

“How _could_ you?” She seethes. “You two murdered innocent lives, and for what? For _funsies?_”

“You don’t understand—“

“Yes, because it’s my _dream_ to understand what’s going on in the mind of a serial killer,” Max replies, her voice full of sarcasm. 

Rachel scoffs. “Come on, Max—“

“Some of these people were my classmates,” Max frowns. “Could’ve even been friends. You just killed them because they had a problem with you. Is that _right?_”

“David hit my mother,” Chloe reasons.

“And my dad almost killed my biological mother,” Rachel chimes in.

Max narrows her eyes. “So what? I knew about both of these. Hell, even Warren stalked me a couple times, but I’m not going to kill them.” She shakes her head. “It doesn’t even matter. I broke the lease of our place, and I’m back with my parents. This might be my last time visiting you two.”

“Max…” 

“No. Clearly _neither_ of you are ever getting out of here so i’m not going to hold on to a place that will just remind me of you two.”

“So it’s the end of us,” Chloe whispers. 

“Honestly, it’s been finished ever since you two got mad at me for visiting Victoria at the hospital,” Max replies. “You two were acting possessive and weird, and now I know why. You two were mad for not succeeding in killing her, so you two were panicking. Is that right?”

Rachel looks away while Chloe purses her lips. “It could’ve been successful—“

“My god, both of you are so far gone that you don’t think what you did was even remotely wrong,” Max gasps. “You think _Kate_ would want this? What about Joyce? Or Sera? Chloe, your mom is heartbroken right now. Last time I saw her, she was not in the right state of mind and there aren’t much people who can look after her other than myself.”

“She has _never_ cared about me—“

“That’s a fucking lie,” Max growls. “She may have made mistakes but she always had you in mind. She never stopped caring about you, even when you stopped caring about her.”

“This is _useless_,” Rachel sighs out. “Are you done making us feel bad, because it isn’t working.”

Max sneers at Rachel. “You corrupted my best friend to do whatever you wanted to do. You did all of this, and you don’t give a fuck who you hurt. _You’re_ the psychopath.”

Rachel sighs. “Ok. I’m gonna go back to my cell. Chloe, you coming?”

Max watches Chloe start to get up, but then she pauses, and sits back down. “Can I have a few minutes with Max?”

Rachel rolls her eyes. “Whatever. It isn’t like the CO will let you stay here that long.” She then heads towards the exit.

Chloe casts her eyes down and then looks to Max. “I’m sorry, Max. I didn’t want things to be this way.”

“Then why did you _let_ her? I’m sorry, Chloe...but you put this on yourself the minute you joined Rachel in murdering most of our classmates and affiliates. I understand you’re still hurt by what life did to you and your family, but you know this is not the way to go...and now you’re stuck here, riding out your sentence until you die. What fun is that?”

“I know, but..._shit_. I don’t think you want to hear the sordid details about how this came to be.” Chloe starts to tear up. “Will you at least visit me?”

Max was certain that she wouldn’t make visiting the prison a constant thing. She doesn’t want to be reminded that her exes are stuck here until they die, but at the same time, Chloe has been her best friend since they were kids. She couldn’t do that. “I can’t promise visiting you _constantly_, but I'm going to make an effort, at least—“

“Times up,” the correction officer announces. 

Max sighs a little. “Once a month. That’s it. I’m _only_ seeing you.”

“Fair,” Chloe replies.

Max watches as her ex-girlfriend gets escorted back to her cell.

* * *

** March 1, 2025 **

“I think we should stick to virtual reunions for the next few years,” Dana quips, as a baby bounces and gurgles happily on her lap. “I still feel spooked over the fact that we were around two _murderous sociopaths_ for a whole month.”

“That’s understandable,” Taylor agrees. “I stepped down from the alumni committee _right_ after the closing feast. I can’t afford to do all of that again.”

“But other than that, how are you?”

Taylor grimaces a little. “I’m living. My best friend is off in the concrete jungle, my other friend is busy trying to conquer his agoraphobia, and everyone else from Blackwell who lived in either Corvallis or Tillamook have moved away.”

“There’s still a select few. I think Brooke is still in Corvallis.”

“Yeah, we talk sometimes but she’s completely bummed about her boyfriend being in prison. I’m not sure if she’s gonna break up with him but I keep telling her to let go and look into dating other people. That girl is so _stubborn_.”

“Always has been,” Dana agrees. That’s when Katelyn comes into the feed and starts asking Dana for food. “Ah, duty calls. Same time tomorrow?”

“Go ahead. Bye Dana,” Taylor says back, and ends the call. She turns around and sighs a little, while a small calico curls up next to her. “Are you hungry, Delilah?”

* * *

** April 23, 2025 **

Juliet sighs out, pulling her torso up so she can sit up on the bed. She wraps her arms around her bare legs, but then she looks to her side.

She isn’t sure if she made a mistake in this relationship reset, but if Zach is willing to show that he has changed, Juliet is _all_ for it. It wasn’t long when they decided to try again — it was after the speed friendship event that Taylor had planned for the reunion last year. They sat across from each other and it was like way past amicable by not clashing, and not exactly shippy, yet.

Moments after, Juliet sneaks away with her ex-husband and spends the night together. It was the first of many until they finally sat down and decided that maybe it’s best to work through their problems as a couple instead of separating together. They have undeniable chemistry, why should they stop?

Once the killer case closed, Juliet only contacts Dana and Trevor since everyone else is either dead or she doesn’t like, either she never liked or no longer likes or respects them. She won’t attend any more reunions if that means having to deal with people who might be killing others in cold blood.

Thank _god_ Rachel and Chloe are in prison.

“Get back to bed,” Zach mutters.

Juliet smirks. “I never left.”

“I mean, lie back down and sleep. It’s three in the morning.”

“Whatever you say, babe.”

* * *

** May 15, 2025 **

“And with that, I announce the seventh and final installment of _Vampho_,” Victoria announces, grinning at the cheering crowd. Once the crowd settles on they file a single line for her to start signing books.

For the last few months, Victoria takes Max’s advice on not being a ghostwriter and puts her face on the book. Of course, her entire publication team was for it. Her revelation has been met with positive feedback. As for the residents of Arcadia Bay? Victoria hasn’t given a shit about that. She would much rather focus on fans who don’t care about her past. 

Besides, she saw Juliet and Alyssa’s faces amongst the crowds, so it might have not changed anything.

She answers questions and takes pictures. So far, she hasn’t had any anxiety attacks or anything. In fact, she’s simply soaring.

“That wasn’t as nerve wracking as I thought it would be,” she comments, once the event has finished and the publication team is cleaning up the mess.

“See? I _told_ you,” Fiona smirks. “You had nothing to worry about.”

“I owe you my _life_, Fifi,” Victoria says. “No, seriously. Thanks for being my face for so long.”

“It’s alright. It’s not like i’m not writing my own books,” she replies.

“Am I gonna get a signed copy?”

Fiona shrugs. “I don’t know, the signature might be similar to yours.”

“Cute,” Victoria deadpans.

“We are _all_ proud of you,” Trisha laments. “I think that month long vacation did you some good.”

“Yeah, I had to be involved in a murder mystery while dodging a bunch of bitter Blackwell alumni, some who were _here_,” Victoria deadpans. “And then I told someone who I was after she read your text message.”

“I’m not sorry,” Trisha jokes. 

“You should be, Young,” Victoria jokes back. “I couldn’t even lie about it. But...she made me do this. I have to personally send her a copy. I think she moved back to Seattle so I’ll get a move on that.”

Trisha only nods and pats Victoria on the back. “Always the Good Samaritan.”

“I wasn’t _always_ like this, but if it wasn’t for her, Fiona would’ve been my face for one last time.”

Fiona starts laughing. “Yeah and I would’ve screwed up a couple questions like always.”

“Oh babe,” Victoria groans playfully. “It’s practice. When you publish this story of yours, you know what to do and what _not_ to do.”

“Exactly,” Trisha agrees. “Make sure you got that manuscript on my desk next week.”

“Yes boss,” Fiona replies.

Victoria exits the bookstore within hours. She’s on her way to her condo when her phone starts to ring. With a sigh, she picks up and smiles. “Babe. How was it at work?”

“It’s _nothing_ like Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Steph complains. “People are mean...and I gotta be an officer all over again.”

Victoria chuckles. “Awww. You’ll be alright. You put Chloe and Rachel in prison. A bunch of New Yorkers should be nothing to you.”

“Correction: Hayden, Nathan and I put those bitches in prison,” Steph replies.

“You still contributed, though.”

“Never said I didn’t,” Steph claims. “Anyway. I’m still mad at you for convincing me to move here.”

“I’m mad you stole my heart,” Victoria retorts.

“Fair. So, how was the book release?”

“Fucking awesome,” she says back. “You gonna be home later? They not making you stay at the precinct this time?”

“I don’t know,” Steph says. Victoria knows she’s smirking right now. “Come home and find out.” 

Victoria scoffs and hangs up the phone. After a few months of beating around the bush after the case, Victoria and Steph decide to take their relationship to the next level. That meant Steph moving to the city, but neither girl is complaining. Besides, after Mandy moved out a month after Victoria came back from her vacation, it was getting lonely.

Their friendship is still as close as ever, but Mandy moved in with her girlfriend. It made sense since within months, Victoria was bringing in her _own_ girlfriend. 

She goes straight upstairs and opens the door to her condo, flipping through her stack of mail until she sees the lights dimming. It’s saved by a couple candles though. “Stephanie. You know I'm legally blind. I need _some_ sunlight.”

She hears a giggle so she decides to follow the voice until she finds Steph sitting in front of the fireplace, with two warm cups of cocoa. “Come on, join me.”

Victoria chuckles and sits right across from Steph. “So, _this_ is what you do?”

“Hey, you love my famous hot chocolate,” Steph replies, giving Victoria the other cup. “Plus, you had the book signing.”

“It wasn’t nerve wracking,” Victoria claims. “It felt so good to speak to my fans face to face about this book series, and now that it is coming to a close...what am I gonna do now?”

“A memoir?”

Victoria frowns. “Hell no. My life is boring as fuck. I’m gonna take a two year break from writing maybe, then come back to it. Maybe a dystopian fiction or something. Who knows, all I know is that it’s going to have more action and less sex.”

Steph nods. “It makes me happy that you’re doing something you love so much.”

“Same,” she agrees, drinking her hot chocolate while it’s still warm. “Now, I focus on my next passion: traveling.”

Steph chuckles. “You don’t _rest_, do you?”

“I moved to Manhattan for a reason, Gingrich,” Victoria deadpans. “Plus, there are places I haven’t been to yet, like away from this continent.”

“If you’re leaving, take me with you so I don’t have to entertain my stupid ass coworkers at the precinct,” Steph replies.

Victoria smirks and leans in, going Steph a kiss. “You’ll live. Besides, who told you to become a cop? Everyone knows that _all_ _cops are bastards._”

“So i’m a bastard?”

“Uh huh,” Victoria confirms without missing a beat. “The police suck, babe.”

“No, NYPD sucks. For some weird reason, ABPD isn’t as corrupt. Maybe it’s because it was Hayden, Courtney, and myself that I had to deal with, but even without us, it wasn’t as terrible.”

“Uh huh,” Victoria raises an eyebrow. “The police still _suck_.”

“Anyways, let’s just enjoy the now. At least those killers are behind bars and i’m here...with you.”

Victoria starts to grin. “Wow. I love you too, Steph.”

“I know,” Steph smirks, and leans in to kiss Victoria.

* * *

** May 31, 2025 **

“Maxine!” Vanessa Caulfield yells from the front door, holding a package. “There’s a package for you!”

Max comes downstairs and raises an eyebrow in confusion. She hasn’t brought anything recently, so why is this here? Nonetheless, she grabs the box from her mother’s grasp. “It came from an address in NYC. You got a pen pal?”

Max snorts. “No.” She probably already knows who it is, especially after seeing the address on it. She runs to the kitchen, retrieves a knife, and cuts through the tape. She opens it with anticipation, and she stares at the copy of _Vampho_, the last installment to the series. She picks it up and opens it, and finds some writing.

—

To Maxine Caulfield (listen I know you hate your name but it’s pretty as hell so we’re fucking using it.)

Thank you so much for giving me the courage to put my face on this book. To express my gratitude, I am personally giving you a signed copy and my publication company agreed on it too. Also, my former ghostwriter Fiona Balor enclosed a gift card for a vintage photography shop. I told her a little about you, no biggie. Although you gotta come to the city to use it. 

Anyway before I run out of page space, just wanted to thank you again and I hope you’re doing well. I know hearing about your former girlfriends being murderers is heartbreaking for you, but I know you’re a warrior, Max. 

Whenever you get the time to use that gift card, give me a call. We can get some real pizza unlike the shit that was served at the bowling party. No shade.

V.C. Horowitz

—

Max chuckles and wipes a tear from her eye, then finds the gift card on the next page. “Of course.”

“Max? You ok?” Vanessa inquires.

“Yeah mom, I just...I got a nice gift from a friend. That’s all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was shorter than intended. I decided to add more POVs just to give updates on other people. there might still be plotholes but this is fan fiction. it ain’t that deep. it’s not a popular fic for a reason so at this point, i’m just glad it’s over so I can hopefully move on to original stories. fandom burnout is real, and idk if it’s permanent or temporary but I did take a whole year of not writing shit so who knows
> 
> 🥰 anyways stay safe and whatever 🥰


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